Spirit Revived
by Firestorm Runner
Summary: I never wanted to be different, nor did I ever want to be great. I wanted normalcy in my life, something I'd be content with. Yet, here I am before you with an unknown destiny. I suppose, as the saying goes, you can't always get what you want Pre-Destined
1. Meeting

**A/N: Hello all again! It's been a while, but I finally got the time (and the nerve) to post my second fic (first multi-chap). So, I'll start off with a little something like the HoN yearbook to give a brief glimpse with what's going on...and I'll go from there =D.**

**Also, gotta give a shout out to IloveZimandNny16. I don't know if you'll actually read this, but thanks for being my one (and only) reviewer on my song-fic Overcoming!**

**Disclaimer: I own JC...and that's pretty much it. Sad, but not really surprising at all.**

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><p><strong>Jennifer Connolly<strong>

Jennifer Connolly, JC as she goes by, came into the Tulsa House of Night in an odd way and an even worse time. With Darkness unleashed and all Hell breaking loose on Earth at the epicenter, Tulsa, it's clear she was Marked during the worst possible time. But, she comes to the House of Night bringing hope with her. Given a Mark by Nyx not seen in centuries and having a closer connection to Zoey than anyone would first imagine, is JC the last piece needed in order to allow Light to prevail over Darkness and return the much needed balance, or is she the fledgling Darkness needs to complete its mission?

**Fav. Books**

Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein,_ _The Giver_, _The Inheritance Cycle_

**TV Shows**

_Criminal Minds, Psych, Pretty Little Liars_ (I watched it a few times and got hooked)

**Movies**

_Finding Nemo, Men in Black _(I and II)_, The Lion King_

**Music**

Paramore, Within Temptation, OneRepublic

**BFF**

Gwen Matthews

**Movie Star Crush**

Alex Pettyfer


	2. Prologue

**J****C's POV**

I never thought I was destined for anything exciting. Quite frankly, I never _wanted_ to be destined for anything other than a calm life. I didn't consider myself special, I was simple…normal...just plain ol' me. I was quite content being my typical, junior in high school self with a few great friends and good grades. I was happy being otherwise unnoticed, I could do what I wanted without being questioned and watched. Yes, going unnoticed was a great way of life.

I was meant to continue life this way. I was going to continue on, following my dreams. I was going to go to college with my cousin to become a veterinarian, and after college we were going to open up our own clinic. That plan went downhill some when my cousin was Marked. It would make sense that after she made the Change our plan could continue on as normal…that doesn't happen when your cousin is Zoey Redbird.

Yup, so that dream of double owning a veterinarian clinic kinda went down the drain after Zo was Marked. I intended to go on and do it alone, but I as well, was stopped in that path. Honestly, even though I never _thought_ I was destined for anything…I should have seen it coming. I should have known that Nyx would choose me as one of her Daughters, it was kind of a no-brainer thinking back on it…I was just too dense to realize it at the time.

I was happy being unnoticed, it allowed the allusion of being a normal junior. Was I normal? Well…not entirely, though I wanted to be quite badly. I happened to have what the vampyres call an affinity (and what humans would call a freak of nature/mutation) for animals. I am able to telepathically communicate with and shape shift into all animals (can you say Dog Whisperer to an extreme?), which opened a door to another world of opportunities...and a world of a hell of a lot of issues if I didn't stay under the radar. Other than that I was normal, but that was the reason I wanted to go into veterinary medicine, I knew I would be good at it and I would be using my gift. It was also why I was happy to be unnoticed, it kept all the prejudice and curious bastards off my back. Going unnoticed allowed me to act normal so I wouldn't be poked and prodded by scientists (and anyone else) curious as to why I was able to do this. Most people called me anti-social because of my desire to stay away, but so long as they didn't see me as some freak of nature, hell…I was fine with being anti! All I really wanted was to be unnoticed to everyone who weren't my friends and family anyway, I didn't need anyone else.

But no, instead of my wish, I was Marked…and I couldn't even be _Marked_ normally. I was Marked as a breed of vampyre that had not been seen in centuries, that was thought to be extinct, killed by those similar to them. I was chosen at birth to be given the affinity, and when the time came, I was Marked because of how it developed. I was given a destiny by the Goddess herself that was going to be as complicated as hell to actually do…but I was willing to do it.

All I wanted was a normal, content life. But as the saying goes, you can't always get what you want. I hit obstacles, prejudice, difficulties in life and hell, I was Marked during a time of war between Light and Darkness. But in the end, everything turned out alright, I am happy with who I am and how I got there, and I wouldn't change any of it. It's funny how quickly things can change under extreme circumstances.

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><p><strong>AN: So, for now, that's all I got. If I get a couple of reviews and people show interest in the plotline (though there isn't much to go off of, I know), I'll hopefully add another chapter sometime in the next two days.**

**Until then, reviews and constructive criticism are always loved!**

**~Stormy**


	3. The Marking

**A/N: So...thanks to those who took interest in this! I uh...have found myself in a bit of a problem when I went to update...my laptop fell and the screen of it broke. Luckily, I had part of this in an e-mail and my mom has a laptop, so for now it's good. I'm just crossing my fingers it's an easy fix and I'll have my own laptop back soon.**

**Anyways, I'll stop ranting now.**

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

The truth was, for the most part, my day started normally. The only hindrance in my morning routine was the queasiness I felt in my stomach from the time I woke up throughout the school day. However, I didn't think much of it, I had been violently ill a week ago and I was still suffering some lingering effects from it. So, instead of mentioning anything to anyone, I put up with it and went through my school day. I had tests to take anyways.

To say the least, it was a bit of a distraction throughout the day. Granted, I don't think anyone would say a small amount of nausea in their stomach _wouldn't_ distract them. I was relieved when the end of the day came and I stood at my locker putting my stuff away and waiting for the bell to dismiss those of us who could drive or walk home. The only issue was my best friend standing by my locker and talking nonstop. I loved Ally to death, but _my God_ could she ever talk…and I was beginning to form a headache again. That was another wonderful symptom that I had from being sick before.

"Jen, are you even _listening_ to me?" Ally asked, pushing some blonde hair out of her chocolate eyes in frustration.

"Sorry, Al," I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face, "I'm not feeling so great right now," I answered, looking over at her after putting my AP bio book into my locker. Thankfully, I didn't have much homework tonight…if I was feeling like this all night I didn't know if I would be able to do it all.

"Still sick?" she asked sympathetically and placed a hand on my shoulder, "do you want me to go get Miss Highland?" she offered. The last thing I wanted at the end of the day was to have the nurse come and see me. My dad wasn't home, he couldn't pick me up, and the nurse wouldn't let me walk home if she saw me…Miss Highland was a rather short, rather petite woman with curly brown hair…not someone you would think much of as a threat. But she was protective and careful with her patients…and you did _not_ disobey her.

"No, I just want to get home," I said, "the damn bell needs to ring," I mumbled under my breath and shut my locker before shouldering my bag. "Now…what were you saying about Pete?" I asked.

"I've heard through the grapevine that he's thinking about asking you out now that the team is looking great to be in the playoffs! He said that you were the greatest fan of the team!" Ally exclaimed. Peter Bousen was one of our high school's star football players. Yeah, football was our town's pride in the school, but what school's football team isn't? The guy himself was a beast of a defensive end and a good friend of mine. Ally had a huge crush on him…no, strike that, as she would put it, she had a huge crush on him for me. She liked Peter as a friend and believed that we would make the 'cutest most adorable couple ever'! I admit it, I did have a bit of a crush on my best friend. He was really a great looking and sweet guy and he was funny as hell. There were three problems with us starting a relationship though. One, we were great friends and neither of us wanted to ruin that. Two, we both are extremely busy with school and other activities and hardly have time for a relationship (besides I had bad experiences with relationships anyways). And three and most importantly, he had a HUGE crush on a girl, who coincidentally shared my name.

"You mean the rumor mill?" I corrected with a snort. "He may very well have said he was thinking about asking out Jennifer…it doesn't mean her last name was Connolly," I said and gave a slight sigh in relief as the bell finally rang and we began heading for the door.

"JC, don't be like that!" Ally exclaimed, "Jenny Thompson has _nothing_ on you!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, shaking my head a bit. "Al, I love you, I do…but you are blowing this whole thing out of the damn water! I'm a close friend of Pete and nothing more, that's all I want to be. You know I don't want to be dating right now anyways, I have other things to focus on," I explained for probably the billionth time in a month.

"I know, but you would be the cutest most adorable couple ever!" And there it was…and I couldn't help but to give a slight chuckle.

"However true that may be, it doesn't matter. We're friends and nothing more," I responded, stopping on the sidewalk. Ally had to go left to the parking lot in order to get her car to drive home…I walked home to the right.

Ally gave a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes, "whatever floats your boat, JC. Do you want a ride home…you don't look so good," she offered, pulling out her keys from her overly filled purse.

"Nah," I declined, "the walk isn't that long and the cold air actually feels pretty good right now. I am gonna head home and sleep though. What's going on for tomorrow?" I asked.

"Don't know, Henry and Sammy haven't talked to me yet," she shrugged, "I'll probably find out tomorrow and call you?"

"That sounds good," I nodded, "if I feel up to it, I'll go. Otherwise I'll wish you guys to have fun. Text you tonight?" I asked.

"I'll be around," Ally smiled and gave me a quick hug…able to match my height due to the two inch heels on her feet (seriously, I was just too tall), "be careful on your way home."

"Will do, bye Al," I said and gave her a wave before turning off down the sidewalk. Finally able to revel in the peace of being alone, I let out a yawn and stretched out my arms.

"_Are you finally alone?_" I heard the question faintly rattle in my mind.

I let out a quiet laugh and nodded, "of course I am Quinn, you can see that. You can also come out and join me now…let me tell you I'm not feeling so good either," I added and stopped to wait a moment. Sure enough a red and white Brittany dog stepped out of the shadows of the woods behind the houses I was walking beside and came over to join me. My dog greeted me every day I walked home, she had figured out a way to get out of the house and ten minutes before my day let out, she escaped and walked through the woods to greet me half way home. She also refused to tell me how she did it, so I couldn't fix whatever was wrong with our house, fence, and/or backyard.

"_You're still having symptoms from when you were sick last week?"_ Quinn asked, lifting her head to allow her brown eyes to meet mine.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I have been and I can't figure out for the life of me…" I trailed off, feeling the air change slightly. It seemed to drop about ten degrees and everything went still. I couldn't explain it, but I had a strong desire to both look up and keep my eyes trained on my dog. Finally, I dragged my gaze away from Quinn to look in front of me…and there he was, about eight feet away.

Despite the cloudy day, he was dressed in black, head to toe, with a long coat and a hood pulled up partially over his head. He was rather tall with a nice build and dark hair that kinda curled in the front. On his face was a filled in, sapphire crescent moon with knot work surrounding it, forming a kind of masquerade mask around his eyes. He didn't look at me, but slowly, he raised his hand, pointing one, long finger at me. I realized, with a sinking feeling, that he was a vampyre tracker.

"Jennifer Connolly, Night has chosen thee, thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee, answer to Her call, hearken to Her sweet voice, your destiny awaits at the House of Night!" he cried out and finally looked at me.

My head exploded in fiery pain and I sunk down to my knees with a cry. I heard Quinn whimper and attempt to console me as I clutched my head. Everything started to go fuzzy, and I looked up to see if the tracker was still there. I didn't expect him to be, they usually left right after their job was done, but instead, my eyes locked with his…which were a sparkling, crystal blue that looked so familiar. "E…Eric?" I asked faintly before allowing my body to fall on the cement.

"Oh dear Goddess," I heard along with a defensive bark and felt my body being lifted from the ground before finally succumbing to the dark that was ebbing at the edges of my vision.

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><p>I sat in darkness for who knows how long. I had only ever passed out twice, well actually…I almost passed out once and the second time I fainted for a couple of seconds. No, that's not what happened this time. I don't know exactly how long I was out, but I sat in darkness for what felt like forever. Oh, and let me just say, that <em>is not<em> sleep, it was just annoying having to wait for my body to react to my already semi-awake mind or vice versa, whatever the hell was going on it wasn't fun.

When my body did finally decide to react, I blinked open my eyes and regretted it when I was blinded by the sun during its temporary moment out from the clouds. "Ow, God damn it," I muttered and squinted my eyes while raising my arm to block some of the rays.

"_You're awake!"_ I heard someone exclaim and felt a wet nose press to my ear in joy.

"Hi Quinn," I chuckled quietly when I turned back in my seat to look at her. Wait…my seat…I was in a car? The movement finally registered with me and I turned forward to see the road flying underneath the car and then finally, my eyes rested on the man driving. "What the hell is going on?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

"You were Marked," the tracker answered gruffly, though refused to look at me.

Oh yeah! I was Marked on my way home from school! He stopped me when I was talking to Quinn about not feeling good, which, I realized, I felt _so much _better other than a dull headache, and he Marked me. I passed out from it…but right before I did so I recognized him…as Eric…well hell, now I have a new load of questions. "Ok yeah, I was Marked…but why are you still with me, Eric? Trackers aren't supposed to look after the people the Mark after the fact and yes, I know it's you, I recognized you easily," I smirked when he glanced at me in a bit of surprise, "and besides that…aren't we taking the wrong route to get to the Kansas City House of Night?" I added.

"I guess I'll just go in order," he sighed, "no…we're not supposed to stay with people after they're Marked…but you haven't seen your Mark yet have you?" he asked and I shook my head, "you may want to."

I shrugged and pulled down the visor from the roof. I flipped the mirror cover open and my eyes went wide at the reflection. I still had the same face, maybe a bit more pale (which didn't seem possible), and the same, red hair fell around and into blue/gray eyes, but on my forehead was my Mark. It was purple, the Mark…and so totally not like a normal Mark! It was purple, yes, the crescent moon was filled in and it was turned so the rounded part sat in between my eyebrows and in the dip of the moon sat a filled in, violet star. Stretching from the moon was Celtic knotwork curling around my brows and down around my cheekbones. On either side of the moon, created from the knotwork, sat two wolves howling at the moon and also in the knotwork were musical symbols. It was really pretty actually but…what the hell? "Holy shit!" was the only thing I could exclaim after I saw it. "Why is it like that?" I asked.

"I was hoping that you could tell me!" Eric exclaimed.

"You're the tracker!" I retorted.

"You are my first Marking, JC…I don't know what the hell happened! This is why I'm still with you, the last thing you needed was someone on the street finding you. You know how most of Leavenworth is with vamps, let alone a Mark like that," he added, "and it's also why I'm bringing you back to the Tulsa House of Night. Besides the fact that I transferred there a while ago and became that House's tracker, a lot of weird stuff is going on there and it seems better for you there."

I sat there and stared at the Mark for a few more moments, attempting to collect my thoughts. "Yeah, yeah ok, that makes sense," I agreed finally and closed the mirror, "is um…is Zoey Redbird still there?" I asked. Of course I knew my cousin still _went_ to school there, but last I heard from her, she was in Venice…I really hope she returned.

"Zoey Redbird? Yeah, she just got back from Scotland," he answered. Scotland? "So you know about her then. I guess vampyre news can occasionally travel to the human world for those who are willing to read and listen to it," he added. Right, he didn't know our familial ties.

"_Why the hell would she go to Scotland?_" I thought.

"_Looks like you have quite a bit to learn from Zo since the last letter_," Quinn responded, "_it has been a while since you got an update in any sense."_

"_Yeah, apparently_," I commented and sighed.

"You alright?" Eric asked, apparently misinterpreting my sigh. He never knew about my affinity for animals either.

"Yeah…just a lot to take in," I partially lied since it really was a lot, "I've been Marked with some weird ass Mark, I'm apparently leaving the state to be brought to the Tulsa House of Night, and I'm taking a car ride with Eric Knight again, something I never thought I'd do again," I explained, purposefully pronouncing his last name wrong. When we were dating (which was a long time ago and a story better left untold right now), he thought it was cute and amusing…now it just pissed him off. Him being pissed off was now amusing to me.

"Actually, I changed my name," he announced, "dropped the C and moved the K. Now it's actually Erik Night."

"Of course it is," I mumbled and rolled my eyes.

"A sudden change in tone, what was that for?" Erik asked.

I shrugged, "I suppose the shock of everything is wearing off and I'm remembering a lot. Stuff that you should remember too, sorry hun, you don't get that lucky," I responded sarcastically and turned away, looking out the side window.

"It's been a couple years, JC! You're still holding a grudge?" he asked, incredulous.

"_The bastard isn't worth your time, Jen, let it go,_" Quinn warned me.

"_I know_," I sighed but didn't pay attention to it anyways. "Being cheated on isn't exactly an action that's easy to let go…especially when you've _yet_ to apologize for it," I commented and when Erik just grunted, I laughed bitterly, "which to me, it would seem, that if you haven't apologized yet then you aren't truly sorry. Erik, you know I don't take well to people who mistreat me and you know I hold grudges for quite a while."

We fell into an uncomfortable silence after that. No one said anything for at least a half an hour. I just stared out the window watching fields and the occasional town go by. I was smart enough to cover my Mark with my hair, so no one we passed stared back in confusion or disgust. At one point in time, I extended my power out to see what kind of animals I could find…it was always the same. There were a lot of deer and birds, every so often a bear could be found, and then a coyote or prairie dog. The light hurt still, but I dealt with it because I didn't have sunglasses and it was cloudy, thankfully.

"How much longer until Tulsa?" I asked after another 15 minutes. If there was a ways to go, well then I'd go back to sleep.

"We'll be there in a couple hours," Erik answered coolly.

"I'm going to sleep some then," I announced and yawned before putting the car seat back and closing my eyes. It wasn't long before I was in the dark again, though this time it was much more comfortable. I didn't dream anything, but it was _good_ sleep and something I needed after this day.

"_JC…JC wake up_," I heard after a while and mumbled faintly before shifting. "_JC!"_ she exclaimed and I felt a good deal of pressure land on my chest and stomach.

"Oof, what Quinn?" I asked and opened my eyes to see her snout and chocolate brown eyes looking back at me.

"We're here," Erik answered for her and I sat up to look out of the car window. Sure enough there was the exquisite building Zoey had told me about in a letter when she first was Marked and came here. Writing, obviously, didn't give the Tulsa House of Night any justice.

"Oh," I said and chuckled, reaching over to open the door for Quinn, and then me to get out.

I didn't realize it at the time, but another car, a large Hummer of sorts (which is horrible for the environment) pulled up beside the small car Erik drove here with. "Erik?" I heard someone ask…that voice was all too familiar, "are you just getting back from somewhere?" she asked.

Before I let the tracker respond, I rushed around the side of the car and smiled. "Zoey! Oh thank Goddess!" I exclaimed and ran forward, "it's been _way _too long!" I added before basically tackling her in a hug. Everyone else who got out of the car were staring at me like I was some sort of nut job (which, in a sense I suppose I was), but at that point in time I didn't care. My cousin was the first, familiar and friendly face I've seen since being Marked, it was just a relief so see her.

"JC?" Zoey asked after she pulled away from me, surprise, delight, and a bit of confusion in her eyes, "my Goddess, it's great to see you too! But, why are you here?" she asked.

I was surprised that she couldn't figure it out, but I pushed my bangs away from my forehead anyways to reveal my Mark, "surprise, surprise. Apparently an Irish bloodline holds just as much magick as yours does," I joked, attempting to mask the fact that I was beginning to feel sick again. It just hit me again, my stomach did a leap into my throat, my head started throbbing, and black started to ebb at my vision.

"Whoa, you got Marked! That explains why you're here…but why the hell is it purple?" she asked and reached out to trace the knotwork patterns, "and filled in?"

"I-I don't know," I slurred and gripped my head. "Zo…I don't feel so good right now," I mumbled and felt my knees buckle before I fell to the ground again.

"Jenny, are you alright!" Zoey exclaimed and I could hear and feel everyone else come rush towards me and kneel around me.

"_JC, oh, not again_," Quinn whimpered to me. Well hell…now I've passed in one day the same amount of times I have in my entire life. Just great.

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><p><strong>AN: See the review button down there? If you like, please review!**


	4. Hello, Neferet

**A/N: People are reading, yay! My computer is an easy fix luckily, so I should have my own laptop back in the next couple of days...I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that, it was good news.**

**Anyway, the next two or three chapters (including this one) are a bit boring so it's just a lot of explanations and introductions and stuff. I tried to make it as interesting as I could...but, it's exposition and it's always a bit boring. I'm also tempted to break up the chapters some since they can get kinda lengthy, it'll all just depend. So there's my plan for the next couple of chapters...on with the story.**

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><p><strong><span>Z<span>****oey's POV**

It'd been a long enough day as it was. Everything that happened with Neferet and Nyx and Rephaim and Dragon and Kalona was just confusing as hell. Well, everything that Neferet said was a bunch of bullpoopie, and she was only saying that to make it look like she was truly sorry and good to everyone…but everything else was confusing!

Then I found out about my mom through a dream. I didn't want to believe it. My. Mom. Was. Dead. I couldn't believe she had passed, but I was slightly relieved to know that, at the very least, she was with Nyx. After I found that out, I woke up and spent hours crying in Stark's arm as he comforted me like the great Guardian he was. I told him I had a theory about Neferet having some hand in this and he agreed with me that she had to have had something to do with my mom's death…we just had to figure out what. It was really a no-brainer, my mom was young, she died with no health problems, she was related to me, ergo (Damien word!), Neferet more than likely had something to do with it.

Then there was Stark himself. Something weird happened before we went to sleep. Now, I knew Stark before his Change and I knew him after his Change. After becoming my Guardian, he would _never_ get so rough with me like he had last night. Something was off about that, and Stark, but again, I just didn't know _what_. And even though I agreed it was just a fluke with him, I'd find out what really happened, there was no doubt about that. I know I may sound like an overly suspicious crazy person…but that's what a battle with Darkness did to me.

After the day went by and night came, we all realized that we still had to go back to school. All of our stuff was there and we _were_ still enrolled in classes after all. So everyone got up and reluctantly started to get ready to go back to the House of Night…well everyone except for Rephaim and almost Aphrodite. We tried to convince Aphrodite out of going back, not because we didn't want her to go (well…not entirely anyways), but because it would not have been proper by vamp rules for her to go. She told us she was a "fucking Prophetess and nowhere near human, so there was no way in hell she was going to stay back with Bird Boy" and sat in the front of the car refusing to get out. Rephaim returned to the tunnels when night hit and wanted to come, but Stevie Rae persuaded him out of that. Probably wasn't a good idea to let the guy Sword Master Dragon hated go to the house. So with that, we all piled into the Hummer and Darius drove us back to the House of Night, where I got my bazillionth surprise for the day.

I was surprised to see Erik pulling back up to the House of Night when we came in. He didn't look good either, he looked extremely tired…and troubled. "Erik?" I asked to get his attention, "are you just getting back from somewhere?" Was it possible he had really just Marked someone on his first night?

Before he could answer, I heard my name called and the next thing I knew, my cousin had tackled me into a hug…and then I found out she was freaking Marked! Oh, and then the best part was that she passed out a moment later. "JC?" I asked and knelt down beside her to try and wake her up. The next thing I knew, my friends were around me and looking at her.

"Is she alright?" Darius asked and looked between me and her.

"She just passed out!" I exclaimed and looked at her paled complexion. "I don't know what happened."

"She was just Marked, and you saw her crescent, it more than likely ties in," Erik said and gently brushed her hair out of the way of her Mark. Momentarily, I saw the emotion flash through his eyes and I it caught me off guard. I wonder what that was about.

"That would be logical," Damien said and looked at her Mark, "I've never seen nor even _read_ about any violet Marks before."

"Oh great, another fledgling with a freaky assed Mark…like we need anymore!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

"She's not coming to," I said worriedly, ignoring Aphrodite, and looked over JC again, "we need to get her to the infirmary."

Everyone looked up at me at the same time in surprise. "W…what about Neferet?" Stevie Rae asked, her voice twanging with worry. Going to the infirmary with my cousin pretty much meant that Neferet would be called, especially with her Mark. But I couldn't just leave my cousin laying unconscious in the parking lot…it was either go to the infirmary and let Neferet meet her, or risk her health out here. I'd like her to live, thanks.

"Neferet is going to meet her one way or another, we can't risk her being seriously injured just to protect her from Neferet," I answered. Yeah, I hated the idea, and I knew JC might throw a tiny fit when she woke up, but oh well. It was the only logical thing my mind could come up with.

"I'll take her," Erik offered and scooped her up easily bridal style. Quinn, who was now out of the car, barked and glared at him when he did, but the tracker paid no attention, "you guys just go to class."

"No way am I leaving her," I said and stood up, "I'll go with you."

"Z, you shouldn't draw more attention to yourself by not being in class, you should go…I can handle the new fledgling," he said.

"She's my cousin, Erik, I'm not leaving her alone!" I exclaimed in frustration at him and at the fact that there was too much darn stuff going on. It put him…and everyone into a state of shock. Finally, he relented and nodded silently, signaling for me to follow after him.

I walked a few steps and then turned around and sighed. "I'll explain this all later, I promise…I just _know_ I need to be with JC right now," I explained to the rest of the group. I realized how crazy this was and that they were probably even more confused than I was, but I knew I had to go, I had that feeling again to follow after Erik. And well, we were extremely close cousins.

"Go be with her, Z, we can cover things here for a while and meet back up at lunch," Damien agreed and all of them set off to go to class except for me, Stark, and Erik, who still held JC in his arms. Quinn followed Erik closely, monitoring her best friend.

"Erik…you probably shouldn't be seen carrying her since you Marked her," I commented half way to the infirmary. Trackers weren't supposed to stay with their fledglings…even _I_ knew that.

"I think an exception can be made for her," he responded, his eyes focused on the path ahead of us.

"You need to be doing something else, don't you?" I asked. I could tell by his face and the way he focused ahead of him.

"It can wait," Erik answered.

"No, it can't, and as I said before, you shouldn't be seen with her in the first place," I retorted, "Stark and I can take care of JC in the infirmary, we won't let anything bad happen to her."

Erik sighed and looked between me and my Guardian before nodding and handing my cousin to Stark, "just…when she wakes up, and even before then, be careful."

We both nodded in agreement and the tracker went back to the entrance of the school. Looking at each other for a moment, Stark and I continued on to the infirmary. "So you two are cousins?" he asked and looked between us.

"Her mother was the younger sister of my biological father," I explained, "while we don't know where my dad went…we stayed in contact and had a strong bond with his two younger sisters…until the step-loser came in anyways. He believed talking with the family of the man who left my mother was 'wrong'," I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"I have a feeling that you didn't listen to him," Stark chuckled.

"No," I agreed with a smirk, "I still wrote and talked to JC…even while I was here. It's funny really, Jen and I are closer than me and my own sister. None of my family knew that we were close or even that we were writing."

"Sounds like you were quite the rebel. It's still hard to believe that you two are related though, you look nothing alike," he added and looked between us again.

"Yeah, I tried as much as I could," I joked, "and I know, I got the Cherokee side of my family…JC comes from a very strong Irish and Scottish bloodline, especially since my father and his family are not Cherokee, but we _are_ cousins," I explained. We got that a lot when we were younger, we were always together but no one could believe that we were actually related, even if we were cousins.

"I guess that makes sense…and we're here," Stark said and motioned to the door. I opened it to allow him in and then followed after him.

"Who's there?" someone asked and a moment later a nurse with chocolate colored hair and brown eyes appeared. She took one look at JC and nodded like she knew what was going on. Did this happen _that_ often? "New fledgling?"

"Marked this afternoon, she passed out when she got here about 10 minutes ago and hasn't been up since," I explained.

"Bring her back," the nurse said and signaled for Stark to bring her back to a room. When she was laid out on a bed, the nurse began asking questions again. "When was the last time she ate?"

"Probably lunch at her high school, which would have been around 11 in the morning," I answered.

"That's more than likely the reason she passed out, she's starving and making the Change from human to fledgling is a rough one physically, you need energy," the nurse began explaining and moved some of her hair to place an ice pack on her forehead...but of course she was startled by the Mark, "is this some kind of joke?"

"No, ma'am," Stark said, "that is her real Mark and she really did pass out."

"I'm going to call Neferet," she decided and looked at us, "you should be getting back to class, she will be okay."

I was _not_ going to leave my cousin to this nurse and the crazy evil ex-High Priestess. "I want to stay, no one around here knows much about her," I said and took a chair to sit down in.

"And you do? It will do no good for the new fledgling or for you to just stay here," the nurse said.

"She's my cousin," I answered simply and held the nurse's eye contact.

Finally, she sighed in resignation and nodded, "but you sir…"

"She's my priestess, wherever she is, I stay," Stark answered gruffly, grabbed another chair, and sat down next to me. Quinn settled at the base of the bed that JC was on, it was easy to see she had no intent on moving.

The nurse sighed and mumbled something I'm sure was impolite under her breath and stalked out of the room. I grumbled and looked at my cousin again, she didn't look as pale which made me think that she was coming around again. That was a good thing.

"What are you going to tell Neferet?" Stark asked. That was a good question…what _was_ I going to tell her? It's not like I had a lot of time to think any of this through.

"Honestly…I don't know," I answered, "would it be best to just tell her the truth and get it out of the way?"

"Do you think Neferet knowing that she is your cousin is a good thing?" he asked.

"I don't think her being Marked and being here is a good thing," I grumbled and sighed, "one way or another, she'll find out. It's probably just best to get it out of the way now."

"I'll go along with whatever you think is best, my Ace," Stark said and I smiled.

"It would really be nice if she just woke up now," I added and sighed. We stayed silent until the nurse came back in the room with Neferet, we were both actually starting to doze off. I was tired after what happened last night, and Stark was still having problems sleeping, so I knew he was tired too. It must have been second hour when they came in since Neferet taught during first…or at least she _did_ anyway.

"This is the new fledgling," the nurse explained, "I'm positive she passed out because she hasn't eaten anything since her high school lunch. But I called you here because of this," she said and removed the ice pack from JC's forehead, revealing her extended, violet Mark.

Neferet's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the Mark, "I didn't know we were expecting a new student at all. Do you know why her Mark is like that?" she asked.

"There is no explanation I can come up with," the nurse said and shook her head, "she came in like this."

Acting like she just noticed us for the first time, Neferet looked at us. "Well, welcome back to the Tulsa House of Night, Zoey. I suppose you found that it would not work out in the tunnels?" she asked with a malicious smile.

"Actually, we are here to gather our things and for class only," I responded, surprising myself at how calm I sounded, "I met her on the way and decided it best to bring her to the infirmary," I added.

"So what Helena says is true then? The fledgling came in like this?" Neferet asked.

"Yes, she passed out in the parking lot when she got here, her Mark was complete and that purple color," I said and nodded.

"Interesting," was the only thing she said as she attempted to get closer to JC. Quinn, who I thought was asleep, instantly snapped to her feet and growled, her entire body rigid with the threat of attack. "Dear Goddess, what is that…that thing!" she shrieked and took a step back.

"That would be a dog, Neferet," Stark answered sarcastically, smirking as he saw the glare my cousin's dog was giving her.

"And what is it doing here?" Neferet asked.

I sighed and looked at the dog. "Quinn," I said, "come here." She didn't move from her spot or relax, but she turned to look at me. I didn't have the affinity that JC did, but I did notice that fear and protectiveness were in her brown eyes. It wouldn't surprise me that she knew, whether she just saw it on Neferet or if JC told her, she _did_ know Neferet was bad news. "Quinn, come," I ordered again and, reluctantly, the Brittany came. "Neferet won't try anything here, I promise," I mumbled to Quinn as I ruffled her ears. Really, I didn't have any problem with her threatening the former High Priestess, but now was not the time to cause a scene.

"Quinn?" Neferet asked and looked at me.

"Quinn, that's the dog's name," I answered and looked back at her, making the quick decision to answer the rest of the question that she was sure to ask, "she is JC's dog. Like Stark and Duchess, Quinn is her cat and nothing's going to separate them. I know this because the fledgling, Jennifer Connolly, is my cousin."

"Really?" she asked and looked between us, a smile that could only be described as that of someone planning something evil forming on her face.

"Yes," I answered and felt Stark grab my hand…I guess he felt the anger and fear rising in me. Quinn emitted a growl from her throat, but I wouldn't stop her this time if she made a move to attack.

"Well, in any sense, I did not know that we were expecting a new fledgling," Neferet started, shaking herself out of it and changing the subject quickly, "I will make up her schedule. Do you know what she would be good in? This is, after all, the kind of things you will need to be good at if you are to become a High Priestess, Zoey," she added and her sneer didn't go unnoticed by me or Stark. We were lucky that the nurse was still in the room.

"She would do well in Equestrian Studies with Lenobia and I'm positive that she wants to take Music 101 with Professor Vento," I responded, "besides the music class, do you think she can have the same schedule as me?" I asked innocently, "just so I can show her around and she doesn't feel quite like a freak around here. She knows me and I know how to deal with people who stare," I added. The truth was that I knew my cousin could handle herself, but I needed to have her in the same classes for my own peace of mind.

"We usually encourage our students to expand their circle of friends and become independent…you would be doing your cousin no help if you stay with her…"

"Actually, Neferet, if I may," the nurse cut in and came over to stand beside JC's bed, "it may be best for _this_ fledgling to be around someone she knows. We don't exactly know what kind of vampyre she is yet, and we don't know what hazards she will face with…whatever she is. We're assuming she's facing fatigue right now, but who knows what else will happen. I think a sense of familiarity is best for her."

Neferet leveled a look at the nurse, but I was glad to see that she did not back down. "Very well, if you think that is best for her," Neferet sighed in resignation…she wouldn't go against what was best for a student in front of witnesses, or a nurse, "I will let her teachers know about her and her…Mark."

I let out a breath of relief when Neferet left and I looked up to the nurse. "Thank you," I said.

"I will do what I think is best for fledglings," she said and began to leave as well. She stopped at the doorway and turned around, "when she wakes up, call for me. My name is Helena," she added and walked out.

"At least she wasn't one of the ones after the fight with the Raven Mockers," I commented and looked back to JC in worry.

"You're worrying over nothing," Stark said after a moment, "your cousin will wake up."

"It's not her waking up that worries me," I said and sighed, "I've been writing to her since before I was Marked, I said that already I think. Anyways, she knows about all the bullpoopie going on in my life up until we went to Venice. After that, it's going to be a lot of explaining…and I don't know if I'm ready to do that yet."

"You don't have to ya know," he responded and shrugged, "I mean…if you two are really as close as you say, I think she'll understand if you don't want to talk about it right away."

"But she deserves to know about what happened. And besides that I think we're going to be asking some questions she isn't going to want to answer too," I explained, "it's going to be another long night."

"What isn't a long night now?" he asked rhetorically and sighed, "let's just hope she wakes up soon."

"Ugh…let's just hope _who_ wakes up soon?" Her voice caused me to stand up and walk over to the bed in relief. "Okay, for the second time today, what the hell happened?" JC asked and blinked one eye open to look at me.

"JC…you're awake!" I exclaimed and looked back to Stark. He just nodded and went to go get Helena. "You passed out in the parking lot at the House of Night," I explained.

"Right…passed out…again," she mumbled and looked at Quinn a moment before back to me. "Why?"

"Helena believes it is because you haven't eaten. When was the last time you ate?" I asked.

"Lunch, at 11 this morning…so she's probably right…whoever the hell Helena is," JC agreed and looked at me in question.

"The nurse coming in," I explained and stepped out of the way as said woman came in.

"Good good, you're awake," Helena said and started checking everything, "how are you feeling? Are you hungry? Does anything hurt? Are you hot or cold? Do you feel funny?" she asked in a rush.

"Better than when I passed out. Extremely. Nothing other than my head, which has been hurting most of the day. I'm fine. And I feel fine," she responded perfectly. Wow, I think she was okay.

"Tell me what happened when you passed out if you feel up to it," Helena asked.

"When I got here, I saw Zoey coming in and I ran to hug her. After I did so, I got really sick to my stomach and my head started to hurt. The next thing I knew, I was going down," my cousin explained.

"Has this happened often?" the nurse continued.

"I was sick about a week ago with those symptoms, but it passed mostly. I felt a little bad at the beginning of the day, but by the time I was Marked…I felt better," JC answered, "otherwise no, this doesn't happen regularly. I'd probably be an extremely pissed off person if it did."

"But you haven't been coughing or feeling like you were coming down with the flu?"

"No, I've been fine that way, it's more like the stomach flu," she said, "I actually feel a lot better now too, I'm just starving."

"I figured that was the case," Helena nodded, "well, I am going to call Neferet, hopefully she has your schedule ready and then I'll let you go to lunch with Zoey and Stark," she said and bustled out of the room before anyone could protest.

"_Why_ is Neferet still here? I thought going to Venice was supposed to get rid of her," JC groaned, obviously worried.

"You've missed on a lot because I stopped writing to you," I answered and sighed, "there's going to be a lot of explanation when we can. What happened to you?"

"Another time," she said quietly. I didn't understand why she looked like she had seen a ghost until Neferet came back into the room. Ghost or sheer evil, they were similar honestly.

"Jennifer, how good it is that you're finally awake!" she exclaimed and walked over to my cousin's bed.

Quinn, who had laid down at my feet, looked up and growled at the High Priestess again. "Quinn, it's alright," JC said, swallowing to calm herself, and then looked back to Neferet. "Thank you, I'm just glad I'm awake again…it's been a rough day," she chuckled easily.

"I can imagine your day has been long," Neferet nodded, "I've been told that you shouldn't leave until lunch, but here is your schedule. I've yet to let your teachers know that you're here, so I will do that. You have a bit of time to stay here until you have lunch," she said and handed her a piece of paper.

JC took the paper and looked it over quickly before smiling slightly. It wouldn't surprise me that she recognized the schedule since it was similar to mine. Neferet hadn't left and she was still staring at JC's Mark. "Um…is there anything else?" she asked and looked back up to Neferet.

"Your Mark, do you know why you have that Mark?" she asked.

Jen stiffened before shaking her head. "No, I asked Erik too, he was the one who Marked me, but he didn't have any idea either. I guess strange Marks just run in the family," she answered and looked at me quickly.

"Right…which reminds me, I have not yet given you the option, would you like to change your name, Jennifer?" Neferet asked, changing the subject quickly _again_. The rapid fire conversation changes were starting to give me a headache.

"Actually, I've had a bit of time to think about this while I was unconscious, I'd like my name to be Jennifer Connolly Redbird if that is okay with you…and Zoey," she said and looked at me in question.

"I would love for you to take my name," I said and smiled. Jenny was more like a Redbird to me than my own sister, of course I wouldn't mind her sharing my last name!

"Very well, from here on out you will be known as Jennifer Connolly Redbird," Neferet agreed and plastered on a smile. "I do believe that I am going to ask Lenobia to mentor you, she is our Horse Mistress and I believe that you two will get along quite well," she added. I was surprised Neferet didn't take her on as her own fledgling.

"Ok...I suppose that works. How much longer until I can actually _start_ classes?" JC asked as politely as she could.

"We are half way through second hour, so you still have quite a while before lunch," Neferet said and smiled sympathetically, well, tried to anyways, "but after lunch you should get settled in your room, you can start classes tomorrow. I know you can get antsy in here, but we don't want you passing out again. Is there anyone you need to contact to let them know that you have been Marked?" she suggested.

"Yes, actually," Jen responded with a nod, "that doesn't sound like a bad idea," she agreed, but I caught the nerves she had. She was doing quite well in handling the ex-High Priestess surprisingly enough, I only caught her nervousness because I knew her.

"Well, I will leave that to you then and let Lenobia and your teachers know, is that schedule alright with you?" Neferet asked and she nodded, "good, then I will let your teachers know you are here. I will talk to Lenobia and after school she will probably show you everything Zoey cannot. Merry meet, Jennifer," she added and bowed. I love the fact that she can still find a way to somewhat insult me in greeting a new fledgling too.

"Merry meet, Neferet," Jenny mimicked and attempted to bow from her position on the bed. The moment the High Priestess was gone, my cousin shuddered and closed her eyes.

"Are you um…alright?" Stark asked, breaking the silence and startling my cousin.

"Sorry, I forgot you two were here," she said sheepishly, "yeah…long day…er night, or whatever. She was freaking creepy though…" she explained and shuddered again.

"Everything I told you and more," I joked darkly and sighed.

"That inky blackness that I can only imagine is Darkness surrounding her helps in no way either," JC added and sighed as well.

"Wait…you can see the Darkness?" my Guardian asked in surprise.

"Yeah…? Am I not supposed to be able to?" she asked in confusion.

"I thought it was only the red fledglings…you know about them right?" he trailed off.

"No, I'm just entirely calm around a vampyre with a red Mark because I'm that oblivious," my cousin retorted and rolled her eyes, "I know about everything up until Venice apparently, so yes." I told Stark that, this lack of sleep must be affecting his memory too.

"I thought only the red fledglings and vampyres and Aphrodite could see it," he explained and shrugged, "I had to ask…maybe you didn't ask me because your own Mark is messed up too."

JC smiled wryly and pointed at the Mark mentioned, "apparently being close to a Redbird and having a freaky ass Mark means a lot," she shrugged, her last part of the sentence reminding me of what Aphrodite said before. That reminded me of everyone who was hear and saw what happened...today would be explanations galore.

"You know what it is?" I asked in surprise.

Her gray eyes looked me over then nodded, "yeah…let me call a few people and then I'll explain," she said and pulled out her phone from her pocket, "I apparently have a while anyways. Oh, as you just heard…JC Redbird now, I'm assuming you're Stark, Zoey's Warrior?" she asked and looked at him.

"Guardian now, but yes, that's me. Nice to finally meet you, even though I carried you half the way here," Stark answered with a smirk.

"Yeah, didn't mean for it to happen like that, sorry, not one of my finer moments for sure," JC answered sheepishly, "but yeah…nice to finally meet you too."

"Which, since you mentioned it, can I ask why did you want to take my name? I would've figured you wouldn't want Neferet to know our relations," I asked. I mean…I was probably Neferet's biggest enemy next to Nyx herself, it would make sense that my cousin would want to lay low and _away_ from it, not dive straight in.

"Why would you think that?" she asked in response, "I'm meant to be here to help you guys for sure, I'm part of your family…might as well just tell the world," she shrugged like her logic was that simple (to her it was...to everyone else, not so much), "besides, I knew that you told Neferet about us."

"How?" I asked in surprise.

"My Mark is fucking _purple_, it means a lot more than I originally thought, like I already said," my cousin smirked, "let me call and then I'll explain." And with that said, she speed dialed someone and put her phone to her ear.

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><p><strong>AN: Well...ready to learn about who and what JC is?**


	5. What I Am

**A/N: In celebration of getting my own laptop back, a new chapter!**

**Since it seems a little late, and I apologize, thanks to all of you who reviewed/subbed to this. I like hearing your thoughts =D.**

**Disclaimer ('cuz it's been a few chapters): Other than JC and Quinn, I own nada.**

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

After saying I needed to call some people, Zoey and Stark understood and gave me a bit of space. They didn't leave, and I didn't want them to, so they talked quietly in the chair as I called the first person on my mind, my BFF.

"JC, it's about damn time. Henry and Sammy went on a date, so I'm stuck alone at my house. I know it's late, but do you want to come over and hang out, maybe spend the night?" Ally asked in a rush the moment she answered the phone. She did that every time she answered the phone, most found it annoying, I found it funny.

I would have laughed too, if it wasn't depressing that I actually had to break this news. "I wish I could, Al, but I can't," I sighed heavily.

"Oh, ok," she responded, a bit taken aback by my tone, "what about tomorrow? Sammy's coming tomorrow to spend the night."

"Ally, I would love to, I really would," I said and sighed, "but I can't. Not ever again."

"Jenny, you aren't making any sense, what's going on?" Ally asked and I could hear the edge in her voice.

"I was Marked when I was walking home from school today, Ally, I'm at the Tulsa House of Night," I said quickly.

"What? Quit joking around, JC, it isn't April first," she said, but I could hear the tears creeping in her voice.

"I wish I could say gotcha and say I'm coming over…but I can't," I said and swallowed back my own tears, "I'm sitting in the infirmary of the House of Night in Tulsa. I'm not coming back, Ally."

"Jenny, no, no, you can't be Marked, you can't be a fledgling!" Ally cried, the tears coming now, "and so far away! Why did you go to Tulsa?"

"Because that's where Erik goes. He apparently transferred and is now the house tracker, he's the one who Marked…"

"He Marked you!" she exclaimed and I could just imagine her shaking her head. "That bastard…I _knew_ I should have driven you home! Ugh, you would've come easily because you were sick…you're not as stubborn then and…"

"Al…Ally, calm down!" I exclaimed into the phone, "it wouldn't have mattered anyways. You would've given me another day…I still would've been Marked, you know that, I just have that DNA apparently," I explained and sighed, "and something tells me it would've been Erik who Marked me either way. I'm meant to be here with Zoey."

"I know, I know it's all true…but it doesn't help in any way to know that you're actually gone now," she said and sniffled.

"I still have the phone…" I trailed off and chuckled at the silence I was greeted with, "I know, lame."

"Yeah, it isn't the same," Ally agreed and laughed. Thank God, er Goddess I suppose, I just got her to laugh. "I still can't believe it though."

"Yeah, I can't either, but here I am," I responded and sighed again.

"You gonna be alright, JC?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"I'll get used to it. What about you?" I asked back.

"It's gonna be tough. I guess I have some news to break to the gang," Ally thought aloud.

"Please don't tell Pete, I'm going to call him when I'm done with you. And I'll try to call tomorrow to talk to you and Sammy, but I can't promise anything," I said.

"I guess that makes sense…and of course you want to talk to Pete yourself," she said and I could hear her smirk. She always took on a certain tone when she was joking around or mischievous like she was right now.

"Ally, if it wasn't going to happen before when I was a human and going to Leavenworth High, there's no way in hell that it'll happen now," I laughed.

"You've always been a pessimist," she joked.

"More like a realist," I shot back and chuckled before sighing. "I'm going to miss you and this."

"I am too," she agreed with a sigh. "Listen, Jenny, don't forget me alright? I mean, I'm sure you'll make new friends…but please don't…"

"Ally, I could never do that!" I exclaimed, surprised she thought that I could ever do that, "I promise you, no matter what, that I won't forget you, so long as you do the same for me."

"I promise I won't either. Good luck, and be safe out there, okay?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, I will be, the same for you. Go on to graduate with honors or better," I said and fell silent for a moment, "I should be going. I love you Al, like the sister I never had." Okay, it was cliché as all get out, but it was something we did since we were children.

"I love you too, JC, now we both should be going," she responded.

"I know, bye Al. I'll try to call you again soon," I said and heard a faint 'bye' before hanging up. I sighed for probably the millionth time and fell back on my pillow, closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Jen, you alright?" Zoey asked I looked over to her.

I swallowed back more tears, a fresh wave of emotion hitting me and I nodded. "We've been best friends since we were four," I said in response. Z knew that, and Stark just gave me a sympathetic smile.

"It's hard…but it gets better with time," my cousin promised and I nodded.

"God I hope so…I should probably be calling Pete. Sorry, I don't mean to be taking so long…it's just…"

"You're a new fledgling and we totally get it," Stark cut me off and nodded.

"Thanks," I smiled slightly and went on with my second call.

"Jenny-Con! Didn't expect to be getting a call from you tonight, what's up?" Peter asked on the other end.

I giggled at his nickname for me, he was the only one allowed to use it, "hey Pete, not much. Well, actually quite a lot…but at this point in time there isn't much you can do, I just thought you should know. I was Marked on the way home from school today…by Erik…I'm at the Tulsa House of Night," I said, figuring it was best to just rip it off like a Band-Aid. Pete and Ally were my two best friends, but they were _so_ different from each other. He liked when I got straight to the point, hence why I stopped my rambling. When there was no response for at least a minute, I was worried however, "Peter, are you still there?"

"Uh…yeah. That's just…um, wow…that's just a lot to take in, Jen," he said, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I know…trust me, it's still a lot to be getting used to, and I've been Marked for a few hours," I chuckled nervously.

"Well…this certainly changes a lot doesn't it?" Peter asked.

"Quite a bit," I agreed.

"And you're in Tulsa?" he asked.

"With my cousin, yes. I'm not quite sure why myself, honestly," I explained.

"Oh," Pete he responded and fell silent again, "hey, promise me that you won't reject the Change."

His request near broke my heart. He had an older sister who was Marked and during her fourth former year, rejected the Change. Then Erik, his former best friend, was Marked, and now me, his second best friend, was Marked. "You know I can't promise you that…but I think I'll make it through," I said, remembering the design on my forehead.

"Good, I can't lose my biggest fan," he chuckled, lightening the mood by a lot. That was something we had in common, neither of us liked dark moods with something not so serious. When we were together, we could make the toughest situations funny.

"Very true, what would you do without me?" I asked rhetorically.

"Now I'll only have Ally and Henry," he agreed.

"And Jenny," I added.

"If I ever get the guts to ask her out," Pete shrugged.

"Rumor had it that you were going to ask her today," I said.

"And then I chickened out," he sighed and I chuckled, "eventually I'll do it."

"You better, by the time I make the Change, I should be invited to your wedding," I joked. "But really Pete, your life can be cut short or change drastically…maybe now, with me, you'll finally understand that. Ask her out, be there for everyone, and be happy alright?" I asked.

"Only you would be telling me to live a happy life after being Marked. I promise to do that JC, if that's what you want, though," he agreed.

"Good, now I should be going. I'm going to try and call Ally later in the week and I'll try to do the same for you, okay?" I asked.

"Alright. Be safe, bye JC," Peter agreed again, sounding oddly like Ally at the end.

"Bye," I responded and hung up.

"_You alright?"_ was the first thing and I looked over to Quinn.

"I will be," I nodded, "it's hard to know that I'm going to have to leave them behind."

"Huh?" Stark asked and I looked over to him.

"Sorry, talking to Quinn," I explained, thinking that would be enough…but he was still confused. I sighed and looked at Zoey, "he doesn't know?" I asked and when she shook her head, I continued, "part of the reason I have this violet Mark is because I've had an affinity since I was a 7-year-old human. I've had an affinity for animals since then, meaning I can communicate with them telepathically, I can talk aloud and they will understand me, and I can shape shift. It's like animal psychics, except it's real and taken to a bit of an extreme. So I was answering a question that Quinn asked me aloud."

"Wow…um…okay then, if you say so," he responded skeptically. I didn't blame him, it _was_ a hard thing to believe.

"Try calling Duchess," Zoey suggested.

"His yellow lab? Okay…" I shrugged and closed my eyes. I extended my powers out around the campus and finally felt the presence of another dog that wasn't Quinn. "_Hello, is this Duchess?"_

"_That'd be me…who are you? And what are you doing?"_ I got the response. She sounded kind of sad honestly.

"_Hi, sorry, I don't mean to be invasive before I've met you. My name is Jennifer Connolly, I go by JC, and I'm a new fledgling here in Tulsa. I'm sitting in the infirmary with Zoey and Stark and I was just wondering if you could maybe prove to your vampyre that I actually do have this ability. I'd also like you to meet another incoming dog_," I explained, hoping that I wouldn't scare her off. Animals sometimes didn't believe my affinity even when I was talking to them. Plus it was an odd request to make.

"_Stark is there and there's another dog! Sure I suppose, I'll be there in a minute or two_," Duchess answered and cut off my connection.

I smiled and nodded, opening my eyes and looking back over to the other two, "she'll be here in a minute or two. Anyways, is there anything else needing to be discussed in the next hour or two?" I asked.

"Aren't you going to call your father?" Zoey asked in surprise.

"He's out in Ireland doing business…there's that whole time zone, I'll call when school lets out, he should be up by then…I think, I'm not really good with that thing," I explained.

"Ok then. Well, before we get to your Mark…what about your relations with Erik? There was something majorly weird between him and you that could use some explaining I'm sure," my cousin asked, getting down to business..

"Eric Knight with a c and a k is the same as Erik Night with a k and an n, we just never got the connection, it's as simple as that," I answered.

"Ok, yeah, that does explain a lot," Zo agreed with a nod, though Stark just looked confused again. I felt bad, he hardly understood anything between me and my cousin.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked and looked between us.

"Probably bad," I answered and took a moment to phrase what I was about to say, "Erik was a Kansas boy, just as I was a Kansas girl. He used to live in Leavenworth, a block down where I lived. When I was a freshman, he was a sophomore and we dated for a time. Then he got Marked and went to the Kansas City House of Night, but we still dated. For the first visitation his family would go to, I went with them, only to find him making out with some, ditzy blonde between the stables and the school. We were through after that, but the worst part was that he never apologized, still hasn't actually, he just said that he was going to end it at the visitation because a 16-year-old fledgling shouldn't be dating a 14-year-old human, which was a lie because I was 15 at the time. But when I asked the aforementioned blonde how long it had been happening, it started two days after he arrived…which meant he led me on for three months," I explained.

"Wow, well I always assumed Erik was an ass…I never thought he was _that much_ of an ass," Stark commented.

"Yeah well, let's say it was a bit of a surprise to wake up in his car again and I may have said a few things that brought back those memories for both of us, so that's what all the weirdness was I'm sure," I added.

That conversation was stopped as Helena appeared with a large, yellow lab, "I do believe she wants to see you, Stark," Helena said and walked away.

"Dutch!" Stark exclaimed and went over to his dog. She let out a happy bark and let him pet her before turning her attention to me.

"Hi Duchess," I smiled and she padded over to me.

"_You're the one who called me?"_ she asked and I nodded.

"I'm JC," I agreed, "Quinn, meet Duchess, Duchess, this is the incoming dog, Quinn," I added when my Brittany came up the side of the bed and looked at the yellow lab.

"_Hello!"_ Quinn smiled brightly and I chuckled…they'd get along just fine.

"Now do you believe me?" I asked and smirked at Stark. I enjoyed proving myself a little _too_ much at times.

"I guess you put all my doubts away…unless you want to shape shift right here," he conceded.

"While I would love to, that probably isn't the best idea right now," I explained and swung my legs off the side of the bed, "however, I am going to stand up because well…I need to actually be able to walk," I added and slowly got out of bed.

"Please be careful," my cousin asked after I got off to a wobbly start.

"You know that word isn't in my vocabulary," I joked and started gaining strength as I walked.

"Yeah, and I wish it was," Zoey retorted, "though you appear to be getting better."

"Hey, I intend to actually walk on my own to the dining hall," I said and walked back over to the bed and sat back down, facing Zoey and Stark, "and you wanted to hear about my Mark?"

"If you know what it means, that would be extremely nice yeah," she nodded.

I sighed and thought for a moment, "ok…well after I passed out, again, something actually happened. I had a dream…this is where I got the explanation:

_ After I passed out in the parking lot, I was in the dark again. Except this time, I could see, and after a minute or two, a strange thread of silver and purple light appeared in front of me. I figured I didn't have anything better to be doing right then so I followed it. After about half a minute of following the strand, I saw a light glowing in the dark, it was like the light at the end of the tunnel. So I went to that. I figured if I was dead, I might as well. It was only odd because I always imagined I'd be going to Hell…I wasn't the most religious person in the world…go figure._

_ When I came to the light, I found myself in an absolutely stunning grove. I was, surprisingly, in a gorgeous white dress (that while I am a huge tomboy, even I could appreciate it) with purple beads forming swirling patterns on the skirt. I looked around, feeling really calm and at peace, but also extremely thirsty. Luckily for me, there was a river flowing through it all and I went over._

_ I bent down to drink, but was caught up in my reflection. Even though I saw my Mark in the car, I was still surprised at the way it was filled in and just…entirely changed my face. I now understood the term 'familiar stranger'. But, in a way, I _really_ liked it._

_ "_I'm glad to know you like your Mark, my Daughter." _Her voice made me jump, but I knew who it was without looking up._

_ When I did look up, I was a bit surprised. I mean, I knew the Goddess was beautiful and unearthly, but I wasn't quite expecting that. What was stranger was that I couldn't really even describe her, I just knew that she had really dark hair and eyes, she possibly had a crescent, and that she was the Goddess. "Nyx!" I exclaimed and bowed, unsure of what else to do to a, _the_ Goddess._

_ "_There is no need for such formality,"_ Nyx laughed melodiously and motioned for me to get up._

_ I blushed slightly and nodded, standing up. "Is this your grove I'm in? It's absolutely gorgeous…but I don't understand why I'm here," I commented, assuming a lot. I mean, it happened to Zoey when she was Marked with a weird Mark, why not me too?_

_ "_You are in my grove, mo Iníon," _she nodded and I smiled at her Gaelic, "_and thank you. You will see why I called you here, please, follow me," _she added and motioned for me to follow._

_ Not knowing what else to do, and the fact that Nyx told me to, I did follow her. We came to another part of the grove, it was enclosed and surrounded by trees and there were a couple large rocks in the area. Another woman sat on one of them, though I could tell she was strong, she remained relaxed and brushed a strand of curly, black hair out of her green eyes, staring at me curiously. The most striking feature that caught me, however, was her Mark. Her crescent was turned like mine was, but it was blue, and in it was a violet star. Blue and purple wisps surrounded her brows and eyes, she was really a beautiful woman._

_ "Nyx," she spoke and bowed formally, "judging by her Mark, she is the one we have been waiting for?"_

_ "_Jennifer, yes, she is the one," _Nyx answered. I looked at both of them in total confusion._

_ "Jennifer," the other woman said and got off the rock, walking towards me, "it is nice to finally meet you. My name is Nevma," she said and grabbed my forearm in the traditional, vampyre style._

_ I did the same and nodded, but couldn't take my eyes off her Mark, "it is nice to meet you too, Nevma."_

_ Nevma smiled and pushed some stray hair away from her forehead, "they are very similar, aren't they?" she asked rhetorically and sat back down on the rock. Looking to the Goddess, who nodded, I did the same on another rock._

_ "Yeah, they are," I agreed, "why?"_

_ "Because we are of the same race of vampyres," she answered, "we are both known as Spirit vampyres."_

_ "A what now?" I asked and looked at her like she was nuts. A Spirit vampyre…right, maybe I was hallucinating after all._

_ "_A Spirit vampyre," _Nyx answered and caused me to look at her, "_Spirit vampyres were a race that lived up until the 1600s that were blessed by the element Spirit when they were first Marked. They had an extremely close connection to the element Spirit and were able to use it better than regular vampyres."

_"So like…they're different than a regular vampyre with a Spirit affinity…like Zoey Redbird?" I asked. I had some knowledge of what was going on in the vampyre world, and all of the affinities and stuff like that, but still my head was spinning._

_ "You're cousin has an affinity for Spirit, but you were blessed by Spirit. There is a difference, yes," Nevma answered._

_ "Okay, I guess I can see there can be a slight difference…maybe, a little bit anyways. I've never heard of a Spirit vampyre before, are there others like me that I just don't know about? I can't be the only one…" I asked._

_ "No, Jennifer, right now you are the only Spirit vampyre seen in over four centuries," the other Spirit vamp answered._

_ "Why?" I continued to press and realized finally that maybe it was rude. I was called to Nyx's Realm by Nyx herself and yet I was dictating the conversation…there was a bit of a problem there in my mind, "sorry…it's just a lot to take in and I'm really confused. It's been an extremely long day. If there's something else to talk about then please…"_

_ "_It's fine, Jennifer," _Nyx answered, "_you are here to learn briefly about what you are meant to be. Very few know about you in the modern world, and with the events taking place, it is best you go in knowing at least something about who you are. Spirit vampyres flourished until the 1600s. It was during the time of the Salem Witch Trials that the last large slaughter occurred. They had been killed since the turn of the century, but during the witch trials massacre was the largest. They were a very powerful race, but very docile and humble. Still, vampyres and humans alike feared them and thought them too powerful to live, so they started persecuting them. Many of the alleged witches that were burned, hanged, or stoned near the turn of the century were Spirit vampyres and those that actually thought it best to help them. It didn't take much for them to die since they were docile and tried to work it out diplomatically instead of physically, and when the time came that they knew they had to fight, it was too late, they were already horribly depleted in numbers. After both human and vampyre alike realized what happened and how vicious and horrible a time it was, it wasn't that hard to cover it up with the belief of witch trials and erasing a few names from history altogether. The teaching to vampyres about the Spirit vampyres ended during the early 1800s. Nevma was the last High Priestess of your kind before you," _she explained. Wow, well, that changes just about everything I EVER learned about history…_

_ "I tried to negotiate with everyone, but by that time, it was too late, and I was forced to fight. Even then, it was too late…so many died," Nevma added and looked so tormented that I just had to reach over and take her hand. It seemed like the right thing to do, and I guess I did something right since she looked at me and smiled._

_ "I'm sorry, that's…wow, that changes just about everything I learned about that time period," I said finally and looked to Nyx, her last sentence finally registering with me, "you said Nevma was the last High Priestess before me? What do you mean? I'm not a High Priestess of any kind!"_

_ "_You are the first of your kind in over 400 years…it is quite possible," _Nyx answered and smiled calmly._

_ "How?" I asked, "or again, why? I mean…I'm just a typical, 16-year-old girl living in Kansas with…an affinity for animals while being a human…" I trailed off and smacked my head in realization, "right…abnormal, not human powers. Should've been a clue."_

_ "That's right," Nevma answered with a nod, "you were granted with those gifts when you were born because you exhibited the qualities of curiosity and courage and tenacity."_

_ "You could tell that when I was born?" I asked in surprise, "how could you possibly know that?"_

_ "_You just showed different actions and qualities that other babies born did not, and we recognized your soul," _Nyx answered._

_ "Recognized my soul?" I asked, confused again._

_ "_A very hard and long process to explain, my Daughter," _the Goddess answered in a way that told me there would be no further comment. Well, okay, I'd just have to go with that I suppose._

_ "Okay, so maybe that's true. I'll have to believe you since I don't remember being born, or have any clue what you're talking about…but still, how am I to be a High Priestess if I am the _only _one of my kind?" I asked. Man this was confusing._

_ "That's you're task to decide," Nevma answered, "you are the first of your race in the new world, bringing them back may not be as hard as you see it."_

_ So, maybe it wasn't the proper way to go, but my mind went to one thing and one thing only when she answered that way. "Wait…do you mean…? I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with that…I mean I'm only sixteen and I don't really have any guy in my life right now. And while I'm sure that Zo's guy friends are awesome and all…it'd be extremely awkward to do that and…" thankfully my rambling was cut off when both of them burst out into laughter._

_ "_No, no mo Iníon, that is not at all what we mean," _Nyx calmed me down rather quickly, "_even if you were to have a child, which is an extremely hard task for a female vampyre to do, there would be no guarantee that your child would carry the proper DNA since your mate would either be human or a blue or red vampyre. Your genes and personality that make you a wonderful woman to be a Spirit vampyre are recessive, and do not travel through a bloodline easily, your bloodline is the first we've seen. You would bring back the race through finding others like you and Marking them," _she explained. Okay, that made a lot more sense, and I'll admit…it was pretty amusing to hear the Goddess speaking in scientific terms._

_ I blushed furiously at my mistake and nodded. "Thank God," I found myself saying before I thought and only blushed harder, if it was possible, at my slur and shook my head, "sorry…I think the shock is finally getting to my brain. So, I have Marking abilities, like a tracker? Is that why my Mark is like this and not like Nevma's?" I asked, using the first question I could to change the subject._

_ "In a sense, yes, you have similar abilities as a tracker," Nevma answered, "however, that isn't the reason your Mark is like it is. I do not know why, but you are more powerful than your past ancestors."_

_ "Neither of those is a solid answer," I pointed out and looked between to the two, "now is when you say that you can't answer everything because it will ruin my free choice, isn't it?"_

_ "_I'm afraid so, Jennifer," _Nyx agreed and nodded._

_ "Ok, so can you at least tell me the basis of what a Spirit vampyre is? I mean, besides the fact they are vampyres blessed by Spirit upon their death, er Marking. What did they do, why did they exist? What am I meant to bring back to the modern world?" I asked, desperate now for something. I had a feeling that soon, I would be gone, waking back up at the House of Night. I wanted to get as much information as possible…or at least ask about it._

_ "We were a group of vampyres who were blessed by Spirit. We were able to travel often times here, into Nyx's Realm on our own will for a variety of needed reasons. When we were here, we usually took the form of an animal, the one we were closest too in personality and spirit. That was why I asked Nyx to grant you the powers as a baby, I had a feeling that you would develop them to be closest to that of the most spiritual animal, the wolf. I was both right and wrong in my assumption," Nevma started to explain._

_ I actually understood that part. "While I have always been closest to the wolf and felt the strongest connection, I am able to change into any, modern day animal that I choose," I answered, just to point out that I did understand._

_ "That's right," she nodded, "animals are used to travel around Nyx's Realm for whatever reason they need. Besides that, Spirit vampyres, as Guides, took on Charges."_

_ "What's a Guide and a Charge?" I asked intelligently. It really sucked not knowing anything. Thank the Goddess I had…well…the Goddess since she and Nevma were my only sources of information right now. I _had_ to believe every word they said…why would they lie in the first place?_

_ "A Charge is kind of like a Warrior's priestess. A Charge is a vampyre, usually a High Priestess or someone of high importance, that a Spirit vampyre will find and protect spiritually. Occasionally, a Spirit vampyre would also take a Warrior as a Charge just to ensure added protection to a High Priestess," Nevma answered, "however, unlike a Warrior, a strong Spirit vampyre, like a High Priestess for our race, could hold more than one Charge at a time. A Spirit vampyre is a Guide to their Charge."_

_ "Okay," I said and trailed off, thinking how to phrase my questions, "does a Charge come like how a Warrior takes a priestess? And what exactly do you need to protect a Charge from, spiritually?" I asked._

_ "No, a Charge comes by in a different manner. And both of those answers, Jennifer, will come to you when you need to know it," she responded and smiled._

_ "Of course they will," I mumbled and blew out a breath, "it's all about 'finding yourself' while fighting with major evil Darkness," I chuckled lightly to show I wasn't meaning to be…er…disrespectful._

_ "_You know I believe in freewill, Jennifer," _Nyx answered and smiled gently at me, "_to give you all of the answers would be like taking that away from you. If you so choose to listen to them, there are other vampyres out there that can help you."

"_They know about me? Or…they know about Spirit vampyres rather?" I asked in surprise._

_ "In some way or another, yes," Nevma nodded, "not all of them will help you, but there are others out there."_

_ That was a major relief in any sense. "_Now, my Daughter, you should not be spending much more time with us right now, you need to wake up in your world," _Nyx caught my attention and came over to me, "_I will be with you Jennifer, mo Iníon, my first Daughter of Spirit, just like I am with your cousin and her friends. And remember, Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as Light does not always equate to good."

I took a breath and continued, "she kissed my forehead and right before I woke up, I was shown what happened with you and Neferet involving you and her and our relations. You were here for the rest of it," I finished my explanation and looked between them. They both were staring back at me in surprised wonder, "yeah, it's a huge bombshell to be finding out."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that explanation makes sense, I worked it a few different ways before I decided it was right. If you guys have questions that were not answered and can be addressed now, post it and I'll answer it in a later chapter...I've already figured out a way to do so :).<strong>


	6. Explanations

**A/N: This is another long chapter...it isn't really all that important in the middle either. If you read up through _Awakened_, then you know about 85% of everything talked about in this chapter. It's more a necessary evil than anything.**

**Because I feel bad for not posting all weekend, and not knowing when I will be able to post again...another chapter will hopefully be up later tonight.**

**JC's POV**

"So, you are the start of a new, modern day race of vampyre that has otherwise been extinct for over four centuries?" Zoey asked. Wow, when it's put like that it sounds so…made up.

"According to Nyx, pretty much," I agreed weakly with a nod, "that's why my Mark is different I guess. It does makes sense seeing as though purple is the color representation of Spirit, you told me that," I said and looked at my cousin, "and I think the star is just symbolic of the race…that's all I can make of it anyways."

"And you said that Nevma's Mark was blue and purple?" Stark asked. Yeah…that was weird too.

"Come to think of it, yes," I nodded, "I don't know why mine is different if Nevma was the last High Priestess," I shrugged and sighed, running a hand over my face before letting out a rather loud groan of frustration, "and to think that twelve hours ago I was a normal, junior in high school. Now I'm some, confusing species of vampyre that less than 1% of the world has any idea ever existed to begin with!"

"But there are some vampyres that _do_ know about them, and will know what you are," my cousin reminded me in an attempt at reassurance, "Nyx and Nevma both told you that."

I sighed and only nodded again. "I know," I finally agreed and looked up, running a hand through my hair, "but I still have to find these people, hope that they are more than willing to teach me, and then hope that they're actually _trustworthy_ if they are willing. That's hard enough when you _aren't_ me," I explained and sighed, looking back up to Zo, "I thought _you_ were the one meant to lead the confusing, troublesome life," I joked.

"Trust me, my life is no walk in the park," she said and smiled faintly, "and you know that after everything you've been through, I don't want you to be in this position."

I laughed a bit bitterly, which surprised them both. "I have that stuff happen to me _before_ I was Marked and you're worried," I said by explanation, "especially since all of that happened to you _after_ the stress of being Marked."

"Literally…_all_ of it now," Zoey said and I could see sadness flow into her eyes.

Instantly, I was out of bed and standing beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Zo…what happened?" I asked quietly, my eyes searching her face. This was a common occurrence with anyone I was close to, the moment I saw negative emotions (sadness, anger, regret, etc), I was beside them and gently prodding them for information. I couldn't be there when Zoey had dealt with a lot of things, I could be there now however, and I had a hell of a lot of time to make up.

"I…my…you uhm, have one less aunt in your family now," she answered quietly and refused to meet my eye.

"What?" I asked and looked to Stark. He had his arms around my cousin's shoulders and was looking at her sympathetically. He looked up to me for a moment and just nodded in response. "I…how and when did this happen?" I asked as gently as I could.

"Last night, I had a dream that Nyx led me to the entrance of her grove and I saw my mom there. She and Nyx talked and then she was welcomed into the grove. She wanted to wait there for me though, my mom, and she still loved me," Zoey explained just as quietly as she answered before.

"Oh, Zoey," I cooed and bent down, hugging her in the process, "of course she did. Just because John was an ass…bastard…mother fu-"

"Ok, JC, I get it," she said and giggled just a bit.

I smiled and nodded, "just because the step-loser was a horrible bastard didn't mean that your mother stopped loving you. Grandma Redbird was right, Aunt Linda just lost her way, but her love was always there for you…she just thought that the money was what you needed," I explained and looked at my cousin again, "a lot of parents think that really."

"I swear, I wonder how you two aren't related sometimes," Zoey chuckled.

"Just because I'm wise beyond my years and Grandma Redbird is the smartest woman I've ever met doesn't mean that we have to be related," I said seriously and then broke out into a grin, "it just means you have two, amazing people in your life no matter what."

"Hey!" Stark exclaimed suddenly, "what about me?"

"Oh, sorry, you have two amazing people in your life and one, semi-awesome person in your life as your Warrior," I corrected myself and shot a teasing look at aforementioned Warrior.

"Guardian, and I think after everything we've been through I at least deserve to be awesome," he said and smirked.

"Ok, ok, if you say so," I conceded and rolled my eyes. "He'd be great if he knocked down his ego a bit," I "whispered" to my cousin.

"I heard that!" Stark shouted.

Zoey was laughing by now and looked between us, "you two are going to get along just fine…just as I always thought you would."

"What can I say, Z? Your family is just as charming as you are," he answered and gave me a knowing look.

"Charming is not exactly the word I would use to describe you," she commented and turned to me.

"Hey! I can be charming…" I trailed off as I realized I was anything _but_ charming, "okay, maybe I can't," I chuckled and looked over my cousin for a moment, "feeling better?" I asked.

"Yeah," Z gave a solemn nod and smiled thankfully, at both of us, "I do…I let it all out last night mostly. I had the closure I needed by Nyx helping me, and I'm not seven."

"At any age it's hard," I said quickly, "what are you going to do about the funeral…and your siblings?" I asked.

"I'll be at the funeral for sure, I have to be. As for my siblings…" she trailed off and sighed, "well they're going to have to deal with John, he is there step-father after all, I don't know what I can do. Maybe Grandma will do something…"

"I could see her stepping in," I agreed with a nod, "do you know how this happened?"

"There's not a doubt in my mind that Neferet is involved in some way," she answered in a tone full of fire and hatred. Even though Neferet gave me the creeps, and trust me, _she did_, I'd never heard that much venom in my cousin's voice ever, "ever since she's been gaining power, she's been finding that killing people we know and love more enjoyable than killing professors. It started with Heath…" Zoey trailed off and her head snapped up to meet my eyes.

"W-what about Heath?" I asked. She had just related the topic of murder to Heath, I did not like that at all.

"We have an interesting story probably a bit longer than yours," Stark answered and sighed, "we still have time, don't we?" he asked.

"We're probably only in third hour, we still have time," Zoey answered with a regretful nod and looked at me, "I have to get you caught up, a lot," she added and took a breath, "it all started in Venice…"

"_I told you there'd be an explanation for the ages,_" Quinn spoke up for the first time in a while.

**Zoey's POV**

"You remember why I went to Venice, correct?" I asked.

"Of course, you were supposed to speak before the High Council about Neferet and Kalona…that was the last thing I heard from you because a few days after you wrote that letter, you left," JC answered with a nod, retreating from both of us slightly and going to sit back down on the edge of the bed, "obviously that didn't go over too well."

"No," I agreed and sighed, "not really at all. It was pretty much the word of a known High Priestess against a bunch of fledglings. I think we all knew how that would go," I explained. It sucked…but it was true. "We had the meeting which didn't go too well, none of us could prove that Kalona wasn't Erebus or not an immortal being, so the High Council pretty much dismissed us. After the meeting was where the real fun began. Stark and I uh…separated after that and…"

"Don't sugar coat things, Z," Stark interrupted and looked at me. "The truth is, your cousin and I got into an argument about whether or not Kalona was good or evil and I stormed off. It was the worst mistake of my life because none of us were prepared for what was going to happen that night," he explained and I think both JC and I could see the shame in his eyes.

"Ok, your ominous explanations are starting to get to me…just tell me what the hell happened!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"I was sitting on a bench when I heard Heath call to me through our Imprint. I followed his call straight to where Kalona had him and snapped his neck," I told her and hated how weak my voice _still_ sounded.

The room was silent for what felt like forever before finally, my cousin spoke up. "Kalona murdered the lovable lug, Heath Luck?" she asked quietly and looked at me wide eyed. I only nodded in response. "That _bastard_. And when I say that, I mean he is worse than John…that fucking bastard!" Oh man, she was pissed...I should've known this would happen. She didn't take well to death..._murder_ at all.

"JC, JC!" I exclaimed and she stopped and looked at me, "while I agree, that isn't where it ends. After I saw what happened, I just acted on instinct and wound up throwing everything I could of Spirit at him," I added.

JC shook her head, "that wasn't very smart. I mean, Spirit is what you are and that could be harmful when you aren't…" she trailed off and looked away, trying to think of a better way to put it I'm sure. She didn't want to say it how she was going to phrase it.

"You?" I offered for her and she looked back at me in surprise, "you can say it because you're probably right. It wasn't smart and it wound up shattering my soul and sending me to the Otherworld. There, I found Heath and stayed with him until Stark brought me back here…I'm not entirely sure what happened during that time," I agreed.

"You did what now?" my cousin asked and looked at me in confusion.

"She shattered her soul," my Guardian answered, "it's something that happens when a priestess experiences a great amount of emotional distress, like the death of a consort. I'm sure that her throwing her entire being at Kalona didn't help either," he explained and shrugged.

"I'm supposed to protect you from things like that. Maybe that's why I was sick…" I heard JC mumble.

"When were you sick again?" I asked, realizing she mentioned it to Helena at one point.

"About a week ago. I all of a sudden came down with a horrible flu like thing, I was violently sick to my stomach to the point where I was throwing up hourly and I had a horrible headache," she explained, "and about three days later it disappeared just as quickly as it started. I hadn't really suffered anymore symptoms of it until today…before I was Marked," she added and then said the same thing I was thinking, "there's no way that my illness and that happening is a coincidence…that just doesn't happen in your life _or_ my life, it's even less likely when our lives are combined."

"I mean, the shattering nearly shattered myself, being her Warrior…who knows what's possible for a potential Spirit vamp," Stark shrugged, I had to agree. "Anyways, after Zoey's soul shattered we had to go back to the High Council, we had no other choice. We tried to explain what happened to them, but Neferet came in claiming that Kalona was shattered too because Zoey did something to him…I don't even remember what because I was too pissed off to care and nearly charged at Neferet."

"Understandable…I probably would have _actually_ done it," JC agreed with a nod.

"Yeah, so after that we discovered that Aphrodite's powers can go beyond that of just seeing the future, she was able to tell that Kalona's soul was surrounded and trapped in Darkness, similar to Z. And she was able to tell that thanks to Thanatos, one of the High Council vamps, who decided to help her and us. Since your cousin was technically still alive, I had the right to take her wherever I saw fit…and after some remembering and research in the library at Venice, we found out about Sgiach and her island. Stevie Rae helped us here by learning about the ancient way of Sgiach by invoking the Black and White Bulls," Stark continued on.

"Black and White Bulls?" my cousin asked with a question mark on her face.

"It'd probably be more helpful if everyone was here to explain," I sighed, "but you should know this before you go face Neferet and the entire school. The Black and White Bulls are the representations of Light and Darkness respectively. I think that might be why Nyx told us that Darkness does not always equate to evil just as Light does not always equate to good…"

"Because, the Black Bull, without prior knowledge, would be thought to represent Darkness," she nodded in understanding. "Ok…go on now," she added and closed her mouth.

"Right, so we figured out that I could get onto the Isle of Skye through my blood. My grandfather's name was MacUallis, which was the clan that was known as the Guardians of the Ace, which was the oath bound Clan of Warriors that protected Queen Sgiach…"

"Well that explains Erik's Scotland comment from earlier," JC muttered and looked up in surprise, "Sgiach has more than one oath bound Warrior? And for that matter, _you're Scottish?"_

"Yes and yes to both. Granted, Queen Sgiach herself is a very impressive Warrior and why are you so surprised that I'm Scottish?" he answered and asked.

"A Warrior having Warriors…go figure," she chuckled, "and, I don't know, I didn't peg you as being Scottish."

"I don't come from an insanely strong bloodline like I'm assuming you do…"

"My maternal grandmother lived in Scotland for half of her life before she had her three children in America and my father was born an Irish citizen before their family moved here," JC agreed, "so yeah, a strong bloodline from that area may be in understatement."

"I forgot Grandma Montgomery was born and raised in Scotland," I commented. My cousin just nodded in response.

"Yes, insanely strong bloodline," Stark agreed with a smirk and motioned to my cousin, "not as strong bloodline," he paused and motioned to himself, "_anyways_, after we learned that, Aphrodite, Darius, and I were off to her Isle. With little issue after I proved my bloodline, we were allowed on the Isle of Skye and well, the process of getting Z's soul back started. It was a very tedious process and Seoras, Sgiach's well…everything I guess, wound up having to start slicing my chest and letting me bleed on a large, stone slab in order to get me to the Otherworld…which was successful. In order to get to the Otherworld though, I had to face the Black Bull, be hurled off a cliff, and then fight and accept my faults to get there. When I finally went through all of that and found Zoey and Heath, I found out Kalona was following them too, and after convincing Heath to leave Z because it was best for her, I had to fight Kalona…and he killed me."

"You can die in Nyx's Realm? That's possible?" Jenny asked and scrunched her nose, "that does not sound pleasant."

"It's not…I don't recommend it," he agreed, "but it got Zoey to pull herself together, so it was worth it."

"After Kalona killed Stark, I did pull the three pieces of myself together and demanded he pay back my life debt for killing Heath in the form of Stark. After trapping him and Nyx came and demanded he do as I say, Kalona paid back my life debt and, after some time healing, we both managed to return to the Isle of Skye," I finished. It wasn't the whole story, but it was a brief overview that covered everything she would need to know about that.

"Three pieces? I knew A-ya was a part of you, but what else?" my cousin asked.

"A-ya was the compassion and love of my soul, a nine-year-old me was my joy, and a woman named Brighid was my strength and determination," I explained.

"Alrighty, I apparently have _a lot_ yet to learn then…anyways, what happened after you two got back from the Otherworld…because I know that isn't the end of it," she asked and shut up again.

"You're right. We got back and we stayed on the Isle of Skye for some time," I continued and snuck a meaningful glance at Stark, "I wasn't ready to go face the world and Stark was injured. So we stayed on Skye for some time and I learned a few interesting things about the magick on the island. It's ancient magick that involve sprites, which are connected to each element, it's really cool!" I explained, though I didn't quite know why.

"Ancient magick?" JC asked and I could see the wheels turning, but she didn't say anything more.

"Yeah, but we couldn't stay because well…tragedy struck here again. Jack died, and we're pretty sure that Neferet had something to do with that too," I added.

"Wait, the sweet, friendly, lovable gay boy Jack that you told me about?" she asked.

"Damien's boyfriend, yes," I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat, "after that I knew we had to come back and well…it was…"

"All hell broke loose," Stark finished for me.

"Pretty much, yeah," I agreed, "before the pyre was when we found out Erik was the new tracker. I was the one to set Jack's pyre because, according to Neferet, I was his High Priestess during the whole Kalona and High Council thing. So we did that, and then out of nowhere she comes, bares, literally _bares_, herself to me and the Goddess, and asks for forgiveness. Here's what sucks, I had to accept her apology because it was in front of the entire school," I continued and glanced at my cousin when I said that. She looked angry, but also seemed like she understood (politics were her strong suit despite her despising them), "and then she asked to pray for Jack, which we allowed her to do. Then she screamed at the sky and none other than Rephaim was pulled from the sky, which did not go well with Neferet and Dragon."

"Rephaim is Kalona's favorite son and the one who killed Anastasia, who was Dragon's mate, correct?" JC asked.

"That's correct," I nodded, "Neferet and Dragon wanted to kill Rephaim, and Stevie Rae defended him. So that created a lovely problem, all of the Sons of Erebus Warriors attacked Rephaim while Neferet weakened Stevie Rae with Darkness so she couldn't defend anyone. Then Kalona came, who we were all led to believe by Neferet that he was banished from her side and thus, Tulsa, and created even more havoc. In the end, he freed his son of his bond and Rephaim was granted a human body by Nyx when she came into the whole thing, but he turns into a raven by day to atone for his past. She also told Damien and Dragon that their respective mates are safe and they should be happy, then told Neferet that she would be forgiven of her sins when she earned it and then we were pretty much run out of the House of Night because Rephaim was not allowed by Dragon, who could not forgive him, and Neferet. So now we're all in the tunnels under the depot creating another House of Night, there, now you're caught up," I explained and gave a sympathetic glance at my cousin. It was almost worse than her explanation.

We sat in silence for a while and I kept glancing at my cousin to make sure she was alright. "So," JC cut the silence, "let me get this straight. Basically, you went to Venice, that didn't work because the High Council exonerated Neferet. In the process, Kalona killed Heath, that shattered your soul into three pieces and sent you to the Otherworld, where you spent time with Heath until Stark came and managed to get himself killed by Kalona, who then resurrected him with the help of Nyx. You guys stayed in Scotland for a while, learning about ancient magick and all of that, only to come home because Jack Twist died and you think Neferet is the cause of it. During the pyre, Neferet asked for forgiveness from you and Nyx, somewhere Rephaim and Kalona came, Rephaim is now on our side with Stevie Rae and you guys don't live here anymore because Rephaim was not allowed here by Dragon, who may now be sided with Neferet. Then you found out your mother died, and now to top it all off, I am here as some new/old freakish vampyre," she summed it up.

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed with a nod.

"Huh, sounds like I came during a typical day then," she joked wryly.

"It's sad to say that you're probably right," Stark commented.

"I actually do have a couple questions though," JC added and looked at me, "you guys are no longer living here, but coming here for class. That pretty much means I'm only going to see you during classes, if I'm meant to help you guys, and I really believe that I am, how is that going to work? I doubt Neferet would let me go with you guys so soon after being Marked…I'm sure she wants to learn about me and figure out a way to use me, as wrong as that sounds. And besides that, something in my gut is telling me that I should stay here anyways."

Well hell…that's a very good question. "I don't know," I admitted with a lame shrug, "I really didn't think I'd have to plan that out. I mean, we could still talk during class and lunch and maybe right after school. And what do you mean that you feel like you should stay?" I asked. It would make sense that Nyx would be helping her along the way…I just wanted to make sure.

"I mean exactly that," she said, "I feel like I should stay here, like I could be a help to Light here, that I could fight against the Darkness with Lenobia and whoever else is here that is going to do that. It's just…a gut instinct, I can't explain it," she sighed.

"It's Nyx telling you something," I told her when she looked even more confused.

"I thought our Goddess didn't interfere with our choice?" JC asked.

"She's not interfering, you don't have to listen to the feeling…you could come with us," I explained.

"No, if Nyx thinks I could be more of a service here, then I'll stay here," she said resolutely. "And either way," my cousin added, "we're not going to have enough time during classes and lunch and it seems too risky to do that anyways."

"Good point," I agreed and looked around a moment, "I don't know how exactly we can work that out though…"

"Ok, we are at the end of fourth hour, so I'm going to let you go a few minutes early to make sure that you get to the dining hall before the crowd and you get what you need," Helena announced, breezing into the room and effectively cutting off any other conversation we were having.

"I'm finally allowed to leave?" JC asked and sighed in relief, "thank you so much!" she added and stood up.

"Don't start thanking me just yet. After your lunch I want you to go straight to your room. Besides that none of your stuff is unpacked, I think it's best that you just take a break today. I've given your new roommate, Gwendolyn, the right to take off from her afternoon classes to help you and to make sure that nothing bad happens again when no one is around," the nurse explained.

"So my new roommate gets to start out by babysitting me?" my cousin asked and chuckled, "I feel so sorry for her. But really, thank you Helena, who knows what would've happened if you hadn't helped me out," she added seriously and bowed respectfully to the nurse.

"It is only my duty," Helena smiled, "but you're welcome, now go get your lunch, you're going to need it," she said and shooed all of us (including the two dogs) out of the infirmary.

"She seems like a nice woman," Jenny commented once we were outside. Stark and Duchess took the lead in front of us (like the Guardian he should be, as he would say) and started going towards the dining hall, allowing my cousin and I to continue talking. Quinn, of course, was by her side too.

"She was very nice to us and you when we were in there, it was surprising given the circumstances really," I agreed with a nod.

"Do you know anything about my roommate?" she asked and looked at me in question.

"Helena only said her name was Gwendolyn…there are a couple Gwens of different, full names in this school so I don't know who she was talking about, and I really don't know any of them anyway, sorry," I shrugged and smiled a bit in sympathy.

JC shrugged back, "alright then…I'll just get to meet her on my…ah!" she yelped as she tripped over a rock that was jutting out a bit more on the sidewalk. In an instant, both Stark and I grabbed her right arm to steady her and keep her from going down.

"Ow, thanks," she muttered once she was steady and instantly grabbed at her wrist, "but you don't have to use your fire power when you catch me, Zo," she added and rubbed her wrist.

"I didn't," I said and looked at her in confusion, "I didn't call fire to me at all, if anything I would've called spirit to me for you. What's going on?" I asked.

"My wrist is burning, like it's on fire," she said and gently let go. What we saw underneath her hand made us all gasp. Wrapped around her wrist like bracelets, probably 3 inches apart, were two tattoos that matched her Mark. They were purple and looked like Celtic knotwork, just like the Mark on her forehead. And within the knots in the first bracelet was my name, in the second was Stark's.

"What the hell?" Stark asked and looked between the bracelets, me, and my cousin, "what is that!"

"I-I don't have the slightest idea but they hurt like hell," JC groaned through gritted teeth.

"Spirit, come to me please," I said…figuring that I could at least ease the pain some with the element. Instead of feeling like my soul was flying, something entirely different happened. Spirit materialized in the air as white and gray wisps and floated towards and around my cousin, not listening to me at all. Suddenly, I had an idea, "JC, try calling it to you, like I just did."

She looked at me like I was nuts but nodded. "Spirit, please come to me," she called in a much stronger voice than I expected. Low and behold the element stopped floating around and started floating through her fingers. "I guess being a Spirit vamp and having the ability to control the element shouldn't be surprising, but this is great!" she giggled as she watched the wisps curl around her finger.

I grinned at her and looked up to notice her eyes flash from their usual blue-gray to a brilliant purple color. Weird. "I know what I need to do," Jen mumbled, "Spirit, please solidify your choice and faith in me as well as the two you will bind me to. Wash away the pain to prove to me that you are positive," she ordered and visibly relaxed as the element, _her_ element, seeped into her wrist, made the Mark glow before both it, and her eyes, lost the violet glint. "Thank you Spirit, I am glad to have your faith in me. You may go now," she said and we watched as the wisps disappeared.

"Ok, again, I ask, what the _hell_ was that?" Stark asked and looked at my cousin.

"Let's walk, I'm extremely hungry and now fatigued and a little dizzy again," she said and Quinn gently brushed against her to offer her support as we started up again. "That was Spirit naming you two as my first two Charges," she explained as we walked.

"Wait…Spirit decided to make us your Charges?" I asked.

"Ultimately I did, I chose, I had the choice to reject its suggestion at a Charge, that's why the tattoos appeared and were painful, it was Spirit's suggestion that I would be needed to service you two. I could choose to say no and ask for Spirit to take away the Marks, but I chose to solidify it and say that I would accept, I'm not going to turn down a suggestion that seems plausible and understandable," JC answered.

"Ok, I can understand why Zoey would be your Charge, but why me? I'm her Guardian," Stark asked, getting a bit defensive. I didn't understand why, but alright.

"Charges can sometimes be Warriors…or Guardians like I said," she shrugged, "it's all in order to keep a priestess safer. I mean, if your soul was to be injured during a fight and I could fix it easily, it's safer for Zoey to have both of us than just me because you're disabled."

"I suppose I can see the help in that," he conceded and then opened the door of the building in front of us, "and this is the dining hall. We're a little early, but that's probably a good thing."

"Thank Goddess," JC sighed in relief and bolted past us to start getting her meal.

"She's just a little excited," I chuckled and shook my head. "The girl's a twig but she can eat like a beast," I joked and leaned my head on Stark's shoulder as we followed after my cousin, who already had half her plate piled with food.

"Well, she is part beast isn't she?" he asked with a snort, "I'm sure after all of the weird stuff she's going through…she needs the food."

"Oh I know," I agreed, "it's just amazing how much that little thing can hold down. I tease her constantly for it," I explained and let out a laugh when I saw my cousin's plate piled high with a salad, two pieces of bread, and what looked like a ham and cheese sandwich. "Do you think you could fit anything else on that plate!" I called.

JC stuck her tongue out at me. "I haven't eaten since 11 in the morning, I'm hungry…so shut up and leave me alone!" she responded good naturedly and waited as Stark and I got our lunch too.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Stark commented and looked at the group of fledglings flowing in. Weird, I didn't hear the bell. "I can't imagine you waiting around to get food anyway," he joked and eyed my cousin's plate.

"I probably would have gone wolf and torn people out of the way…literally," she laughed and motioned with her hand to lead the way. "Granted, that's probably not the best way to make friends at this place," she added and followed after me as we went over to our usual table.

"Being different is bad enough," I agreed and sat down between Stark and Jenny. The instant we sat down, the latter started digging into her food, which only stopped when everyone else slowly started piling into the table. Somehow, we managed to fit the nine of us at the table, however uncomfortable, and the red fledglings sat at the table next to us.

"Ok, now that everyone's here and Freaky Purple Mark Girl is here…what the fuck is going on?" Aphrodite asked, breaking the awkward silence we were eating in.

"Let me guess," JC said with a smirk, "that one's Aphrodite," she said and pointed to her with her fork.

"Damn straight I am, now who the fuck are you?" Aphrodite asked. It was going to be an interesting lunch.


	7. The Nerd Herd

**A/N: As promised, another chapter :). This chapter is dedicated to OtterlyLuscious for being a great reviewer.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still own nothing sadly.**

**JC's POV**

My first and only thought when I stepped into the dining hall was how freaking hungry I was. Now I had six pairs of eyes on me wondering just who the hell I was and why the hell my Mark was purple and completed. Man I hope lunch is longer here than it was at Leavenworth High, I want to be able to give explanations _and_ eat.

"Well, Aphrodite…and everyone else," I sighed, "my name is officially, as of a couple hours ago, Jennifer Connolly Redbird, JC for short, cousin to your good friend Zoey over here," I said and then realized I'd have to say more as everyone looked between me and Zoey in question. "We don't look it, I know, my mother was the younger sister of her biological father. Granted, her father and his family weren't Cherokee, Z got that from the Redbird side of her family. I'm almost purely Irish/Scottish…so we don't look very similar, but we are cousins," I explained.

"It's true, we're cousins that way," Zoey nodded when they all looked at her in question.

"I suppose it could explain the outlandish Mark," the guy sitting on my other side commented, "it could be hereditary."

I sighed and shook my head, "it may be hereditary too but that isn't the main reason it's…like it is. It's the Mark of a Spirit vampyre," I said quietly and swept my gaze over all of them. Suddenly, as it was silent, I began to feel very self-conscious, I realized again just how insane this whole thing really was.

Then like a dam breaking, the questions just started flying out of everyone's mouth. I couldn't tell who was asking what or who was who…or anything. Quinn let out a bark, apparently feeling me getting overwhelmed, and everyone shut up.

"What was that?" another blonde, with red tattoos, twanged. I was 99% sure she was Stevie Rae.

"My dog, Quinn," I said and pointed down underneath the table. Simultaneously, everyone but me, Stark, and Zoey looked under the table.

"_What?"_ I heard Quinn asked and I chuckled, reaching down and patting her on the head.

"She's like my cat," I continued explaining, despite the disapproval from my dog about being called a cat, "like Stark and Duchess at the beginning."

"And the weirdness just keeps coming. Ok, Miss Spirit Vamp, just what the hell are you exactly?" Aphrodite asked.

"Before I say anything else…can I get names? I can take a wild guess, but I don't do names and descriptions very well," I asked.

"I guess everything that's been goin' on made us forget our manners," the blonde with the red Mark smiled guiltily, "my name's Stevie Rae. Nice to meet ya."

"Ok, so I was right, you're the red High Priestess, got it," I nodded and smiled, "nice to meet you too."

"Erin Bates…"

"Shaunee Cole," two girls said at the same time, the blonde was Erin and the darker skinned was Shaunee.

"The Twins, I've heard a lot about you," I chuckled, "all good and about your _fabulous_ fashion senses of course," I added when they both looked a little unsure. They both flashed me big grins after that.

"And as you have already figured out, she is my priestess Aphrodite, and I am Darius," the very _large_ man who Aphrodite was practically sitting on added. Damn, Zoey wasn't kidding when she said Darius was like a freaking mountain.

"And I'm Damien," the boy sitting next to me finished.

"Smart, gay boy," I said and smiled kindly, "I like you already."

"Thanks," he said and smiled, though I couldn't help but notice it was a little forced.

"Oh, I uh…didn't mean that to be offensive…sorry," I apologized, assuming that was the reason he forced a smile. I had a tendency of shoving my foot in my mouth when I first meet people...now was _so _not the time to be doing that.

Damien just shook his head and smiled at me again. It was still a little forced but it was clear it wasn't my fault. Then I remembered what Zoey told me, he had just lost his boyfriend…no duh his smile would be a little forced! I gave a nod in understanding and though it was total probably a 30 second exchange, I knew I'd be great friends with the guy…aside from the fact I was a _HUGE_ LGBT support (it got me ridiculed often but I didn't give a shit), he just seemed like a really sweet guy.

"So," Damien cleared his throat, "are you going to enlighten us now about what a Spirit vampyre is?" he asked.

"Oh, right," I said a bit sheepishly and glanced to Zoey and Stark. They both nodded in encouragement and I took a breath. "When I passed out in the parking lot, not one of my finer moments by the way, I somehow found myself in Nyx's Realm. There I met Nyx and a woman, a Spirit vampyre High Priestess, by the name of Nevma. Basically, what they said is that Spirit vampyres were a powerful but passive race of vampyres that lived and flourished up until the 1600s. During the 1600s humans and normal vampyres' fear peaked about them, they thought Spirit vamps were too powerful and they were persecuted. Both Spirit vamps and their supporters were killed in what we know as the Salem Witch Trials, and before then, and they were slaughtered to the point that, by the time the Spirit vamps were going to fight back, it was too late…they were too depleted to do any damage, and the race went extinct. I'm the first Marking of them in over four centuries," I explained in a rush.

With the exception of my cousin and her Guardian, they all stared at me like I grew another head or something. Not that I really blamed them. "Anything seems possible now," Stevie Rae finally said, "I mean…that explanation is almost crazier than snow during a Tulsa summer, but with all the bat-shit craziness goin' on 'round here, totally possible."

I sighed and nodded in agreement, "trust me, I know just how crazy it sounds. I thought that when I was hearing it from _Nyx_. And I've definitely considered the chance of being put in an asylum for it. It changes everything about history the way I knew it, but I'm not going to disbelieve what the Goddess said. And it explains the Mark when you think about it, seeing as though purple is the color representation for Spirit," I responded rather weakly.

"It's only crazy because none of us have heard anything about them," Damien told me, "do you know why we don't know anything about you…or them?"

"I was told that it was because it was a very dark time in vampyre history," I answered, "teachings altogether stopped in the 1800s because the vampyres were ashamed of what happened and it was a very dark and barbaric time."

To my surprise, Aphrodite spoke up for me, "now _that_ isn't so crazy. The High Council and all those important vamps are such civilized bitches with sticks up their asses that they wouldn't want that out. It's too 'manly' and 'barbaric' of a thing to happen…and it makes them look bad to humans, _no one _could know about that," she explained a bit dramatically.

"I hate to agree with Aphrodikey, but I do," Erin said.

"Ditto Twin," Shaunee agreed, "after that meeting we had, it's obvious those High Council vamps wouldn't want anything to ruin the perfect vampyre history."

"And besides that, ya'll are family to Z, who is a dang good High Priestess, we don't exactly have proof to _not_ trust ya," Stevie Rae added.

The rest nodded to signify that they agreed that it was entirely possible that the High Council would do such a thing and a Spirit vamp was a possibility. I smiled in relief, "you have good friends, Z, you really do."

"I know," she said and matched my smile.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know we're the best. Now get on with it, what else do we need to know?" Aphrodite pressed.

I let out a breath and chuckled, "right, sorry. Um, anyways, yeah, a Spirit vamp is a vampyre who was blessed with Spirit upon their Marking instead of with Night. It's different than a normal vampyre with an affinity for the element, somehow, I'm still not really sure how that works though. Anyways, Spirit vampyres are very close to the Otherworld and are often times able to shape shift in our world. The power pretty much transfers over, Spirit vampyres often time take the form of an animal in Nyx's Realm in order to ensure their Charge traveled safely to the Otherworld…"

"And a Charge is _what_ exactly?" Aphrodite interrupted, again.

I sighed and put my right arm on the table, revealing the bracelet tattoos around my wrist. "A Charge to a Spirit vamp is like a priestess to a Warrior. They protect High Priestesses from things that would injure their souls usually. Warriors are the next common Charge simply to add protection for the priestess," I explained and absently traced the bracelets, "Spirit suggests who it thinks should be a good match between a Spirit vamp and Charge, ultimately the person gets to choose. Zoey and Stark are already two Charges that I have. I don't know why I have to be physically Marked to show I am a Guide, the Spirit vamp to a Charge, and my Charges, but it happened," I shrugged.

"So Z and Stark are already your Charges?" Damien asked and pointed to the other two.

I nodded, "I'm not quite sure what that entails just yet, but yeah, they are."

"How many of these Charges can you have?" Darius asked, "clearly it is not like a Warrior's Oath since you have more than one Charge already."

I only shrugged weakly, "dunno, I guess as many as I want or can handle."

"And…you mentioned earlier that you can shape shift?" he continued.

"I don't think I should do it in here…but yup, I can do that too," I answered with a sigh. I should have expected the interrogation. I should've expected the disbelief and confusion too. "Usually the vamps only had one animal they could shift forms to, but again…lucky me, I'm different. I can take any animal form, and if I must, I'll show you, but I feel the closest connection to the…"

"Wolf," Damien cut in.

"Yeah," I nodded and looked at him in surprise, "how did you know that?"

"Each element is represented by an animal," he explained, "air is the eagle, fire is the tiger, water is the dolphin, earth is the deer, and spirit is the wolf. You are a Spirit vampyre so it would make sense that you felt a close connection to the wolf."

"Queen Damien-"

"The perfect school girl," the Twins commented.

"Can I just say that I would love to see you shape shift right now," Aphrodite interrupted…_again_.

"Of course you would," Zoey said and rolled her eyes, "she probably shouldn't after all that stuff…"

"It's fine, I said I would if they wanted me to and I will," I said and looked at Aphrodite, "I can't communicate in any form except for the wolf, but I won't do that in here…anyways," I sighed and closed my eyes. I can't really explain how the changing process occurs, I just think about what animal I want to be and poof, it happens and is there in my place. In my place this time sat a small, pure black cat. I looked up at all of the other shocked expressions and couldn't help but to let out a purr in laughter. Even my cousin appeared shocked, but she knew I could do this.

I shifted into a black bird and a turtle before I changed back to my human, er fledgling, form just to prove it was more than one animal I could shift into. "Okay, I can understand why all of you would be surprised by that, but Zo, what's going on?" I asked once I could and then shoved a forkful of salad into my mouth. I looked around and noticed a few stares from other fledglings sent in my direction, not that it surprised me. Oh well, let them stare I suppose. I was already enough of a freak with the purple Mark and not being in uniform right now.

"Your Mark now transfers into your animal forms, so you were a black cat with a bright, violet Mark of wolves on your forehead. It was weird looking," my cousin explained.

"Huh, okay, I guess it isn't all that surprising since I'm still, well, me in those state. My eye color usually transcends into other forms, it makes sense the Mark would too," I shrugged as an explanation and finished off the last of my salad. With food in me, I felt better already, "anything else?" I asked.

"Being a Spirit vampyre and all, ya have an affinity for the element, don't ya?" Stevie Rae asked, I guess just to clarify.

"A strong one at that," Zo answered for me, "I called Spirit to me outside, we were actually able to see it as wisps and it went to her instead of me. It makes sense, but was still a bit surprising," she explained. I just nodded, I really didn't have anything else to add to that.

"Uhm, excuse me," a quiet voice cut into our momentary silence. Everybody looked up to see another blonde haired girl (sheesh another one) standing by the table. She had amber eyes that flicked to everyone, but rested on me. I also noticed she had the fourth former symbol on a rather simple black sweater.

"Hey Gwen," Damien said and smiled a bit, "what brings you over here?" Gwen, as in Gwendolyn, as in my roommate?


	8. My Roommate's WHAT!

**A/N: So...here's another chapter, it's kinda late for me...but I'll try to post another tomorrow. I hope you all like Gwendolyn, she went through a few different changes before I was happy with her character.**

**JC's POV**

"Hi Damien, how are you feeling?" the girl asked gently, "and I'm here looking for my new roommate. The rumor is that her name is Jennifer Connolly Redbird and well, with Zoey being here…" she trailed off and shrugged.

"I'm feeling better thank you, last night helped a lot. And if you're looking for JC, we just inaugurated her into our table," he answered and put his hand on my shoulder. Yeah, I _definitely_ liked Damien already.

I smiled and gave a slight wave. She smiled back and nodded, "I'm glad you're feeling better now. I heard about what happened in the parking lot, it didn't sound too pleasant."

"Yeah, as I've said quite a lot today, not one of my finer moments," I chuckled, "I'm assuming you're my new roommate?"

"Oh yes, sorry, I'm Gwendolyn Matthews. Helena found me after she let you go and explained everything that confirmed rumors. If you're ready, I can take you up to our room," she introduced.

"I suppose I could rightfully say JC Redbird now," I introduced myself and looked down at my plate, it was almost empty except for a small bit of sandwich left. "Yeah, I suppose it'd be best to leave before lunch is done, thank you," I agreed and looked between Damien and Zoey and Stark. This was why I hated being in the middle of a booth, you're always trapped when you needed to leave. And usually I always needed to pee at the most inopportune moments, so I always sat on the outside.

"I'll move," Damien offered and slid out of the booth.

"Thanks," I chuckled and followed him out, grabbing the last of the sandwich. "C'mon Quinn," I added and looked back to my dog. She emerged from under the table and I tossed her the last of the sandwich, she was hungry too. "When are you guys going back to the tunnels?" I asked as and afterthought and looked at all of them.

"Probably right after classes end," Zoey answered, "I think we have too, dinner isn't served to non-residents, which we are now."

"Alright," I nodded and sighed, "I'll try and find you all before you leave…who knows if I actually will or not. Um, I guess I'll see you later then," I said and gave a slight wave.

"Byes" or "Bye JC" was heard from them and I followed my new roommate out of the Dining Hall. The cold air still felt good, and the fact that I could stand without getting dizzy or faint was a bonus too.

"_Well, that wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be,"_ Quinn commented, padding behind me.

"_Yeah I know, I was surprised by that honestly," _I admitted and looked back to Gwendolyn. _This _could be the awkward part of the day. Goddess I hope not.

"So you have a dog," Gwen said and slowed a bit in order to walk next to me. "What's her name?" she asked and glanced back at my Brittany.

"Her name's Quinn," I said and smiled a bit, "I've had her practically since the day she was born. She was abandoned on the streets and I took her in and nursed her back to health and through her puppy years. It's hard to believe it's already been two years," I explained and sighed.

"Ah, an animal lover I see," she commented and chuckled, "that's good. I love animals too, though I have a cat like most other fledglings around here. He's a black and white cat I call Oreo…do you think there will be a problem between the two?" she asked.

I looked back to Quinn with a raised eyebrow. "Oreo, that's original," I teased, "if I tell Quinn to be good, she will be," I said, more to my dog than to my new roommate.

"_Hey, so long as the feline doesn't get on my nerves, he'll be safe_," she responded easily. Funny that I didn't trust her entirely.

"Ok, if you say so. Oreo is a pretty laid back cat so I don't think he'll bug your dog…he stayed away from Duchess when Stark brought her here," Gwen continued, "and well, I'm not really the most creative person in the world. I've always loved the cookies anyways," she said and blushed slightly.

"It's fine, I'm not very creative with names either. I think I can get them to reach an agreement," I chuckled but didn't say anything more. Those two would be friends whether they liked it or not.

"_Don't be threatening me to befriend a cat, JC, you know how well that will end,"_ Quinn warned.

"I'll do whatever I have to in order to get you to play nice," I retorted and realized it was aloud. Crap, well there goes my secret.

"Pardon?" Gwen asked calmly but shot me a confused look.

I sighed and nodded, "I might as well just get it out of the way. I have an affinity for animals, as you probably saw me shape shifting during lunch, I can communicate with them telepathically and they can understand me when I speak aloud. I was talking to Quinn," I explained, expecting a similar reaction from her as Stark gave.

"Makes perfect sense to me," she shrugged after a moment. It was my turn to give her a surprised, confused look. "Obviously, you're different JC," she explained and giggled, "it would make sense that if you had an affinity for animals, which I did see during lunch, you could talk to them." I was still surprised though, I mean, she was so calm about it when everyone else wasn't, it was weird. "I've learned not to judge based on affinities or Marks or whatever. You seem like a nice person, I'll treat you as such until I have a reason not to," she added.

Did she just read my mind? I mean seriously, how the hell did she figure all of that out?

"Yes, I did," Gwen answered with a smirk. Wait what? Oh hell…my new roommate was…

"You're telepathic!" I exclaimed and chuckled in relief, "oh thank Goddess, I thought I was becoming just that transparent," I laughed. We had reached the girls' dorm building and we both went inside. I followed my new roommate as she started up the steps.

"No," she said and laughed with me, "actually you're pretty good at remaining calm. I just figured since you admitted your animal affinity I might as well admit my affinity. Oh, and don't worry, I rarely use my affinity on my roommates, I just figured I'd show you. Oh, and I didn't read your mind on that, just a little disclaimer I give to everyone when they first find out," she joked.

"_You struck lucky with this one, Jen, she seems like a quieter version of you."_

"Yeah, I know," I chuckled and glanced at Quinn, "and you're right. Gwendolyn, I think you and I will make wonderful roommates."

"You can call me Gwen, and I certainly hope so," she said a bit sadly and opened up the door to one of the rooms. Quinn and I walked in after her and I was surprised. On the right side of the room was a bed covered with a tye dyed comforter, on a small nightstand on the right side of the bed stood a lamp shaped like a peace sign, and on a desk sat a few, random knick knacks, some strewn papers, and a laptop. There was a closet on the left side of the bed that was closed, but I'm pretty sure I could guess at her clothes style based on her side of the room. On the left side, where I presumed I would be staying, boxes were _everywhere_.

"You could also call me an in-the-closet hippie I suppose," Gwen commented when I didn't move away from the door. She plopped down on her bed and smiled at me, "usually my roommates aren't turned off by the room itself."

"Sorry," I said and shook myself out of it. I walked over to the left side and started to go through the boxes. Everything was actually _mine_. How could this be if no one was expecting me to come? "I wasn't turned off by the room either, I like your style, I was just surprised that all of my stuff was here. How can anyone be turned off by you? I mean, you're actually helpful and nice…which, from what I hear, is a lot more than what everyone else can say," I explained and knelt down in front of one of the boxes on the floor, pulling out my bedding from it.

She shifted on her bed so her feet were by her pillows and she rested her chin in her hand. She studied me for a moment, I could tell even though my back was on the stuff of my former room, I could feel her eyes on me. "It usually isn't my style that they have problems with, it's my preferences really," she explained.

"I don't understand," I commented and got up, taking a few boxes from my bed and setting them on the floor, still not facing her, "isn't style and preference the same thing really?" I asked and threw all of my bedding on my new bed.

"Not in this way," Gwendolyn answered and sighed, "JC, I have a girlfriend, and it's best to tell you that now," she explained in a rush.

Oh, well now I understood how it was different. I glanced at her over my shoulder and she looked really nervous…this must have ended badly before. "Ok," I shrugged and went back to smoothing out my bedding.

"Ok?" she asked, and this time it was her turn to be surprised. "Um, ok, maybe you didn't understand. I have a girlfriend, as in I am a lesbian I have a girlfriend," she explained again.

I looked back at her and shrugged again, "I understood, it's cool," I answered and sighed. I heard her take in a breath to start talking again and I turned around, sitting on the edge of my bed. "I don't care Gwen, I really don't. You have a right to love whoever you want and you have the right to do so without being judged, just one rule," I said, "I don't want to be here when you and your girlfriend are having a…grand ole' time if you know what I mean. I'm glad that you told me that now so it avoids any awkwardness like that."

"Well usually it's another disclaimer I add right off the bat now," she explained and chuckled, "not a fan of girl on girl action I take it?"

"Hey, I don't want to be seeing girl on girl, girl on guy, guy on girl, guy on guy, guy on dog, dog on dog…"

"_Hey, us dogs like our privacy too!"_ Quinn exclaimed after I said that.

"Ok I get it!" Gwen laughed.

"I mean, an 'I love you' or a kiss or something like that, that you would be willing to do in public is fine. I don't need to be seeing anybody getting hot and bothered, that's just nasty no matter who you are and who you're doing it with. Privacy, alone time, fine, don't want to see it, don't want to know about it," I explained and chuckled, "some people just don't get that!"

"Yeah I know, it's so wrong with solid PDA," she agreed, "and don't worry, Maggie and I are pretty laid back when other people are around. In our room, well we didn't have a problem for a while because it was only me…but I guess I'll hang a sock on the door or something when you leave and we're getting 'hot and bothered'," Gwen promised, teasing me at the end.

"Good, glad we could reach that agreement. And hey, I didn't know how else to phrase it!" I exclaimed and laughed. I finished putting the bottom sheet of my bed on and started actually making it, throwing on another sheet and my comforter, black with blue, green, and purple paint splatter patterns on it. When that was done, I sat on my bed and grabbed two pillows to put them in cases that matched my comforter.

"I really like your bedspread," she said when she saw it.

"Thanks," I said and fought with my second pillow for a moment, "I've never been known to like the bright, girly colors," I chuckled and threw both of the pillows back. "Hey, do you know how all of my stuff got here?" I asked after a moment, "Neferet didn't know that I was coming in, or at least she didn't act like it, so I don't think it would have been from the school and I was home alone today so…"

"Of course she didn't," she muttered and rolled her eyes. Huh, Gwen didn't seem to be under Neferet's spell, that was a really good thing. "Yeah, actually, I saw Erik Night bringing up boxes earlier. I think it was him who brought all of your stuff here," Gwen answered. Whoa, wait, _Erik_ got all of my stuff? I mean, I know somewhere in there he is a good guy (as much as I absolutely despised to admit it), but I was never the one to bring it out. He did that for _me_ though? Wow, that was the last thing I expected.

"Wow, okay, he's the one who Marked me and brought me here too," I said and looked at all of my stuff in boxes, "he did a lot for me, I didn't even _see_ them in the car," I mumbled.

"Yeah, well, Erik can be a really good guy when he wants to be," she told me, "he just doesn't always _want_ to be I suppose. Did you know he was supposed to leave Tulsa?" she asked. I guess she assumed that I learned about him on our ride down here…or maybe she just read my mind, either way.

"He was?" I asked in surprise. No, well I didn't know that. Granted, I also didn't know that he had transferred from the Kansas City House of Night until today.

"Yeah, the LA House of Night wanted him, he was supposed to be the next big movie star or something like that. He almost left too, was all ready to go, but then Nyx Marked him as a tracker and he couldn't leave…can't for four years," she explained and got up off her bed. "Do you want some help unpacking?" she offered.

"That'd be great, thanks. And wow, no, I didn't know that. It must suck for him, being a new tracker, supposed to be in LA right now, and _me_ being his first Marking," I accepted and added. I mean, I remembered him saying that I was his first Marking, so I guess it should've registered then that he was a new tracker…for some reason it didn't.

"I'm sure the purple Mark freaked both of you out," Gwen agreed, "which, if you don't mind me asking, why is your Mark like that?"

"Well, the Mark wasn't the reason why it had to have been hard," I responded and nodded, "I've already basically told this story twice. You can read my mind, can I just show you via thoughts?" I asked. I really did not want to use words to explain what happened _again_.

"Sure," she shrugged and came over, shuffling through one of the boxes and pulling stuff out. I nodded and just thought about what happened after I passed out in the parking lot. It was a lot quicker to explain via mind because in about a minute, she got what was going on.

"Wow," Gwen breathed and handed me my guitar case. "That's pretty amazing," she said after another moment.

"And a lot of pressure," I added and looked around the room for a moment. My instrument corner would be by the window, I decided, so I set the guitar and mobile keyboard against the wall and put the clarinet and flute cases in front of them. I'm a HUGE band/music geek, I know.

She nodded, "you do have a pretty interesting future ahead of you, I'll give you that. Not that it's a bad thing."

"I don't know what to make of it yet, most of the school doesn't…hell that table with all the friends of Z didn't know what to make of it until I talked through half of lunch. Even Neferet, Queen Bitchiness and Knowing Everything for Evil Purposes was taken aback by my Mark," I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. I also had a feeling that I could talk like that around Gwen because…well she wasn't evil. I didn't see that Darkness shining around her anywhere.

"So you know what's been going on around here then," she assumed and pulled out a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt with a bit of flowery lace around the bottom and neckline. "Cute," she commented.

"Thanks and yeah. Close cousin of Zoey Redbird, I know pretty much everything that's gone on around here, it's horrible," I explained and grabbed the shirt from her. I walked over to my closet and found that there were different uniform shirts in there already. Right, vamps knew everything, except when I was coming. I wonder how that happened, oh well, it wasn't a bad thing I guess. I hung the shirt up then took out the butt load of coat hangers in there and threw them on the bed. Might as well get all my clothes hung up.

"It's disgusting," Gwen spat, it was the first time in the short time that I'd known her that she'd shown an emotion other than quiet calmness or joking around. It was…unexpected. "It's absolutely disgusting how half of the student body follows her and supports her without a second thought and how the rest pretty much can't do anything because she has that much power over them."

I had started hanging my jeans on hangers, and thank goodness it was an easy task to do without looking because I was watching my roommate intently. The outburst was surprising and, though it was only a few sentences, very impassionate. "If you don't mind me asking, because I know everything of what you say is true, why are you alright then?" I asked.

"It just started with the Raven Mocker attack that killed Anastasia Lankford. There were a group of us that fought back and were in the infirmary, I was part of that group. Call it what you will, maybe it was choice, maybe it was my telepathy, but I knew what they were doing was _wrong_," she answered and pushed her hair behind her shoulder.

And that was the first time that I saw it. After moving her blonde hair behind her shoulder, the right side of her neck was revealed. Starting where the bottom of her jaw connected to her neck and going down to what I imagined was her shoulder underneath her sweater was a long, slightly raised, red line. A scar. It looked like it caused a hell of a lot of pain to get, and I visibly winced. Gwen looked at me and smirked, amber eyes twinkling in pride, "it hurt to get, but I'm damn proud that I have it now."

"One of the Raven Mockers caught you?" I guessed, just to make sure I was right.

"He was going for my chest, I knocked his claws to the side, and he caught me in the neck and shoulder," she nodded and handed me another two pair of jeans from the box. Based on my guessing math and knowing how many pairs of jeans I had, they should've been the last two.

"Wow, I guess it was a good move seeing as you're still alive," I commented and went to hang all of my jeans up in the closet next to my uniform shirts. It was likely I'd be wearing jeans with them anyways.

"I'd say that I have to agree, Maggie would've been pissed if I died in that fight," Gwen agreed, only half-joking I'm sure.

"Does your girlfriend have an affinity too?" I asked, assuming Maggie was her girlfriend and genuinely curious as I grabbed a stack of shirts and started hanging them on hangers.

"No, much to her chagrin," she sighed and rolled her eyes, "she really doesn't feel special without one, which I try to explain she is. But still, I wouldn't want to meet that girl in a fight when she's enraged…not good."

"She has a temper then," I said, more as a statement than a question, "remind me not to cross you or her," I chuckled.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be a pretty sight," Gwen laughed with me, "but really, she's a good fighter with a fiery temper. We're near opposites in that, though we both have the same view of this school. She's ready to voice her opinion at first thought, I'm quiet. A quiet rebel I suppose you could say, I pick and choose my battles."

"It's always good to be a mix of both," I said and smiled, "or have two people who balance each other out that way."

"I agree, though we're opposite in a lot of ways, we balance each other out nicely. And hey, opposites attract, right?" she asked rhetorically and threw me more shirts from that box.

"Yeah, that's right," I answered, "is that all in that box?" I asked.

"Yup, I'll get the start on the next one," she offered and grabbed another box.

"Thanks so much for helping out, by the way. I know you should be in class," I added and went to go hang up the shirts I had done.

"This beats being in class with the creepy teachers and possibly encountering Neferet," Gwen waved me off and took the object off the top of it. She looked at me and smiled teasingly, "you have a stuffed wolf?"

"Lupa!" I exclaimed and smiled slightly before my roommate's question resonated with me, "um, yeah, I do. My brother, Daniel, bought her for me for my fifth birthday, he set up a lemonade stand just to get her for me because I saw her in the toy store and really wanted her, but my mom said no at the time," I explained a bit more quietly and grabbed the stuffed animal from her.

"Oh, you have an older brother then?" she asked.

"Had," I corrected, "he was three years older than me." I looked at Gwen and sighed, she looked confused and curious, and I guessed it was best to just explain it now in case I woke up screaming from a nightmare. No matter how long it'd been since the accident I still had nightmares about it. That pain never fully goes away. "My mom and Daniel were both in a car crash when I was seven…neither of them made it out alive," I explained quietly and sighed, absently playing with the stuffed wolf.

"Oh…I'm so sorry, I didn't know. That's horrible."

I nodded and set Lupa back with my pillows. I didn't want her to feel bad or take pity on me, so I relied on my normal answer to that, I had practiced it quite a lot. "It's alright…it was nearly ten years ago. I still have things to remember them by, like Lupa and my brother's guitar. I also have a necklace from my mother that…oh crap," I groaned as I felt around my neck, "that I left at home today because we were running in gym and not allowed to wear jewelry!" That was the necklace that my mother wore and loved…and now I didn't have it! Damn it gym class…it just had to be today! Usually our teacher let us wear jewelry underneath our clothes, but when we were running it was a whole other story.

"Maybe Erik packed that up too…and we just don't see it yet. Come on, let's keep getting you unpacked and maybe we'll find it," she said reassuringly and grabbed at the half empty box, "you got a lot of clothes, it could be hiding in there."

"Not really, and I wouldn't have brought this much if I had packed. And yeah, maybe you're right," I shrugged with a bit of a sigh and pulled out the second half of the pile of shirts, thinking her explanation made sense. I looked at the bottom of the box when something gold glinted and caught my eye. "Oh thank Goddess," I breathed and grabbed at the chain, "he did pack it," I explained and hooked the necklace together behind my hair. It was a gold chain with a pearl held to the chain by a golden pendant that swirled around the stone, beautiful in its simplicity...in my opinion anyways.

"I'm glad you found it," Gwen smiled and handed me a couple of coat hangers.

"I am too," I let out a breath and started back to hanging clothes on hangers again.

"What else do you have in these boxes?" she asked and looked at the few that were left.

"Well, some books, my lava lamp I think I see, a few pairs of shoes, and hopefully my laptop somewhere," I answered and sighed, "along with some of the supplies for Quinn I had I'm praying."

"_If he didn't pack my food I'm going to bite his head off,"_ Quinn informed me.

"No," I said and glared at her, "you aren't. It's nice enough that he packed this stuff for me when no one knew about it. I'll just buy you more food if it's not here," I explained.

"I don't think her food will be a problem," Gwen announced, standing over a box and looking in it, "there are a bunch of what I can only imagine being dog supplies in this box right here."

I walked over to the box in question and nodded in agreement, "that would all be Quinn's. You know, I got the rest of this, there's no need for both of us to be up exerting energy," I commented and knelt down, shuffling through the box.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it isn't a problem, I'm sure you have homework or something to be doing anyways," I waved her off and pulled out Quinn's bed. Sighing, I chewed on my bottom lip as I debated where to put it, there wasn't a _whole_ lot of room left on my side with my bed, desk/bookshelf combo thingy, the end table, and the closet…and I wasn't going to ask to use Gwen's side.

Quinn got up from the foot of my bed and walked over to the space between the closet and end table, "_this is cozy…I like it."_

"Alright, it's your bed," I shrugged and laid it down when she moved out of the way, "this'll have to be your corner then."

"That's good because Oreo is over here…just in case they _don't_ get along," my roommate said and pointed to the exact opposite corner in the room. Quinn, now in her bed, bottom left, Oreo upper right…it worked out.

"That works, but I promise you they'll be alright," I said and smirked when I realized what she was doing, "you enjoy the _Inheritance Cycle_ I see." She was sprawled out on her bed looking extremely comfortable and reading _Eragon_, one of my favorite books.

"Huh?" she asked and her face squished together in confusion.

"The _Inheritance Cycle_," I said and pointed to the book, "_Eragon_ is the first book of the series," I added and started dragging the box with the rest of my dog's stuff over to her corner.

"Oh! Well, no, not really," she admitted with a sheepish laugh, "I mean, I've heard of them before, but I really wasn't interested in them until Maggie and my friend Luke both suggested them to me. I just decided to pick it up and start reading it, so I figured I might as well continue," Gwen explained and shrugged.

"Ah, ok," I nodded as I set out Quinn's dish next to her bed and filled it with food. "Well," I added and looked at her over my shoulder, "they can start off a bit dry, but they get better. And, if you happen to like _Eragon_, I do have the other two books that are out right now." I grabbed the toy basket out from the box and put the few loose toys back into the basket before setting it on the opposite side of the dish. With a sigh, I looked between the bag of food and treats and the room to find a place to put it. I resigned to setting them behind the bed and table, since there was room, and looked at my dog. "Get into that and I'll bop you," I warned.

"_Why would I ever do that?"_ she asked innocently.

I just rolled my eyes and chuckled, ruffling her ears before standing back up and looking at the remaining boxes. Well, might as well get the books done and out of the way. "Yeah, I definitely notice the dryness of the intro," Gwen agreed and went back to reading.

As I was about half way done with putting my books on the shelves in the desk, there was a knock on our door. "It's open, come in!" Gwen called and I went back to getting my stuff together, figuring that maybe it was just another student coming up to say hi or something.

"All is going well I presume." I momentarily froze at that voice and turned around to find Neferet sweeping into the room. Oh crap, oh crap, _oh crap_. "You are getting settled in nicely, Jennifer?" she asked. Damn it, I really didn't want to be seeing her again today!


	9. Meeting Darkness

**A/N: So, makeup work, tests, and a football game out of the way and I should almost have a free weekend!**

**Ok, I would actually like to make a small announcement. I came on here tonight and was looking for a few things to read. I started reading (or more rereading and continue reading) DaydreamingLatinPrincess's story "House of Night: The First Green Vampyre" and couldn't help but notice the similarities between her Ally and my Ally. Both are blonde, brown eyed, in the "best friend" position, and act similarly. Obviously, she posted her story before mine and well...I'm not quite sure what happened. When I was reading I sat there and asked myself repeatedly how exactly I let it happen. The only things I could come up with would be my subconscious (you know how you remember something but don't know why or from where) or just sheer coincidence. Either way, I'd just like to say it didn't purposefully happen on my part...and well, I guess I'm apologizing for it.**

**No, I don't even know if she's reading this story or knows very much of my existance, but I have an unnecessary guilty conscious as my friends would say (I apologize for EVERYTHING, whether my fault or not, whether an accident or not) and I felt really bad when I realized that. Ok, that out of the way, on with the chapter!**

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><p><strong>JC's POV<strong>

Ok, gotta steel yourself for this…let's go. "Yes actually. Getting all my stuff in the room is helping a lot, I'm so glad that Erik packed it up for me, it's keeping me occupied and is helping me feel more at home," I answered and internally sighed in relief. Even though I could see that creepy assed Darkness swirling around every square inch of her body, I _would_ remain calm.

"Which reminds me, Neferet, if you don't mind me asking, why wasn't her stuff brought here by the Warriors? And why didn't I get a heads up beforehand?" Gwen asked innocently and looked up at the ex-High Priestess, "I mean, JC and I will get along just fine, but it was a little surprising to find out that I would get a roommate today."

Neferet gave her a look and they silently squared off a moment before she gave a soft, slightly condescending laugh, "Gwendolyn, I cannot possibly inform every fledgling of their roommates at this time. I am far too busy, you know what is going on at this school, Jennifer's Marking just slipped through my records. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am glad that you took it well."

"So, it wasn't that Nyx didn't want you to know about her…"

Neferet's tone and glare turned icy as she cut my roommate off, "no. You were there when Nyx forgave me yesterday. I just simply missed the record. Anyways, I just came in to check how you are doing Jennifer, it can be hard enough adjusting to fledgling life let alone, with well, that Mark," she added and gave me what looked like an attempt at a satisfied smile, "that is all. I am glad to know that you are adjusting well, and I will see you in class tomorrow."

"Ok," I nodded and forced myself to return the smile, "thank you for checking up on me. Blessed be, Neferet," I added and bowed a bit. Ugh, hell knows I didn't want to.

She smiled, genuinely smiled this time though it was totally evil and a bit off kilter, "blessed be, Jennifer," she responded and left the room. I, however, was left staring at the door as I watched the Darkness. Most of it left with her, but there were a few wisps that lingered at the door and just swirled around. "Can you see it, too?" I asked quietly, directing it at Gwen even though my eyes didn't waver from it.

"No," she answered and I felt her look me over, "no blue fledgling can as far as I know. I can feel it though, I think my telepathy gives me that ability to feel it. She tried to use it on me after I asked her about Nyx. Before, when this first started, it worked and let me tell you, it hurts worse than hell to have that set on you…but I learned how to deflect it with telepathy and that's why I don't waver anymore," she explained, just as quiet.

_"JC get rid of it, please,"_ Quinn begged. I knew she could see it. I think most animals could, and she told me that she could after we met Neferet in the infirmary.

"Good, I'm glad you aren't affected by it," I commented and took a breath, "Spirit, please come to me. Get rid of the Darkness, banish it from this room," I asked and felt better the moment the element surrounded me. I watched the white and gray wisps flood over to the door and slowly, the Darkness dissipated. "Thank you Spirit, you may go but please, stay near to me," I said and watched as the element disappeared, but felt my heart lift just a bit too. I stood there steadying my breathing and just letting my element fill me. Apparently, I stood like an idiot longer than I thought.

"JC, are you alright?" Gwen asked and she got up, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I jumped a bit at her touch and shook myself out of it, swallowing the lump that formed in my throat. Yes, I was slightly unnerved by it, it wasn't normal, it was creepy as hell and destructive, scary, _dangerous_. But that wasn't what creeped me out. No, what scared me more than anything was the fact that the more I stared at it, watched it, something deep, _deep_ within me stirred, it was awakened, and that something had a strange, sick _desire_ for the Darkness. I could feel it, and thus me, to get closer to the Darkness and...well I don't even know. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine…it's just, a lot to take in, being here, actually faced with Darkness and Neferet, all that. I just got lost in my thoughts a moment," I muttered an answer and forced myself to finish putting books in their spots.

"Ok, if you're sure," she said like she was unconvinced, but thankfully let it drop.

"_What happened?"_ Quinn asked.

"_Nothing happened, that stuff was just creepy…it caught me off guard,"_ I answered. It wasn't a total lie anyways.

She shook her head, causing her tags to jangle, "_I can tell when you're lying to me, JC."_

_ "Just let it drop_," I warned, "_I'm fine."_

I heard her let out a grunt and her head plop back down, but I didn't turn to look at her, I just finished up with my books. The moment I was done, the door opened again, and expecting the worst, I turned around to find, to my relief, a cute brunette with brown eyes closing the door and going towards Gwen.

"I saw the crazy assed bitch going downstairs," she said and pecked my roommate on the cheek, either not noticing me or thinking I wasn't looking, "you alright?" she asked and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Yeah, she came up to our room but I'm fine," my roommate answered after a moment and glanced at me warily.

"I told you I'm fine," I sighed, "it's my first day here and the fact that I could see Darkness kinda creeped me out," I explained. Again, it was only a _partial_ lie. No way in hell was I going to start explaining that desire...even _I_ didn't understand what that was!

"Damn, they weren't kidding when they said the new fledgling was pretty freaky with the Mark," the brunette commented, looking directly at my forehead.

"Maggie!" Gwen hissed and elbowed her in the ribs.

"What!" the brunette, Maggie, my roommate's apparent girlfriend, asked, rubbing at the spot she was elbowed in, "I wasn't being rude or anything…just stating a fact!" she exclaimed.

"It's alright Gwen," I told her, "I'm going to have to get used to the comments and stares anyway," I explained and looked to Maggie, "JC Redbird…your girlfriend's new roommate."

"Maggie Hawthorn…wait, you know?"

"I told her right up front," my roommate answered, "she has the right to know. And after last time, it was best to get that reaction done and out of the way now so I knew what I'd be dealing with."

"Seriously though, I don't give a damn," I repeated for Maggie, "so long as you don't do anything major while I'm here and you hang a sock or something on the door so I know not to come in…I'm cool with it," I shrugged and turned around to finish unpacking. I only had a little bit left to unpack, just random knick knacks and my iPod home.

"So you're a prude then?" Maggie asked jokingly with a chuckle.

"No," I answered, "I just don't want to be walking in on _anybody_ who is making out…or worse. Things get awkward really fast," I explained.

"You speaking from experience?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said and laughed a bit, "I suppose I sorta am. My old school had tons of spots unmonitored by cameras where you could do…anything. It sucks when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of class and go into the girls' bathroom to find a couple basically having sex on the sinks," I explained and stopped a moment, reliving that memory. That was never an image I needed, catching the most popular (and slutty) girl of the juniors, Veronica, and her current boy toy of the week in the bathroom doing…things I'd rather not speak of nor remember.

"You're kidding," Gwen commented.

I shook my head and set the last of my things, my iPod home, on the table by my bed, "I wish I was," I answered, "I've been scarred for the rest of my life because of it." I took a step back and looked at my side of the room…it looked almost exactly like home except the walls weren't painted. There was really only one thing left for me to do, and it didn't involve my room. "Are classes done with for the day?" I asked.

"Yup…speaking of which," Maggie said and pulled out a couple books and papers from her tote bag. She handed them to my roommate, who groaned.

"I would still have work, of course," she sighed and started leafing through it.

"Sorry," I apologized and smiled sympathetically, she had that work because of me, "but I do have a question. Do either of you know if Erik is still here? And if so, where his room would be?" I asked.

"Well, it's still night so he's probably here, trackers usually Mark during the day," Gwen answered, "and if so, he'd be in the faculty building, the first one after the boys' dorm…which is right next to ours. Why?"

"He brought all of my stuff," I explained, "it may not have been unpacked, but it's better than not having it at all. I just…wanted to thank him."

"_You want to _thank_ him?" _Quinn asked in surprise.

"_I may still hold a grudge…but c'mon, he didn't _need_ to do any of this,"_ I answered. My dog just sighed in response.

"Yeah well, I'd imagine he'd be in his room, as far as I know he isn't taking too well to becoming a tracker," Maggie answered, "and you'll want to change into uniform if you intend on leaving the dorm," she added.

"Right," I said and nodded. I walked over to the closet and grabbed one of the black shirts and went into the bathroom to change.

Okay, even the bathrooms in this place were amazing! It's funny how I couldn't really visualize what Zoey told me about this place, but being here is even better than what I could ever imagine this was in the first place. Anyways, this bathroom was large enough to fit a shower, toilet, and sink as well as two towel racks and a mirror, oh, and there was still moving room. Quickly, I changed out of my shirt and into the House of Night uniform. Huh, it actually fit, which, again I thought was weird since I wasn't expected. After that, I looked around the bathroom to find that all of my toiletries were in there and set them wherever they would be needed. Erik really went a bit overboard with all of this.

Sighing, I came back out of the bathroom and tied my hair back into a loose ponytail. My roommate and Maggie were snuggled together on her bed talking about something or other that I probably wouldn't understand in the first place anyways. "I do have a question before I go, sorry. If they didn't expect me here, why are there uniforms for me?" I asked, not really wanting to interrupt.

They both looked up at me and shrugged. "Crazy bitch probably sent them up here after she met you," Maggie answered and I chuckled. I found her disuse of Neferet's name rather amusing.

"I guess that makes sense," I shrugged and smiled, "I'm uh, going to try and find Erik…I'll hopefully be back relatively soon," I announced.

"Okay, JC, we'll be here," Gwen informed me and smiled.

"Alright," I nodded and went to the door, "remember a sock if you need it!" I joked. They both laughed and I opened the door. Before I stepped out, a black and white cat ran into the room and basically pounced on my roommate.

"_What the…"_

_ "_Quinn, be good!" I ordered and left the room before anything else could be said or done. With a bit of thought, I retraced my steps from coming up earlier with Gwen back down to the common area. This time it was filled with girls who were watching some type of show on one of three televisions or were talking in groups. When I walked down and through the room, it got pretty quiet and practically everyone stared. Some were curious, a few were confused, but the majority of them were just outright disgusted or rude. Man things can change, at least when Zoey first came she got curiosity and confusion.

Not saying anything, I kept my head up and just left the building (that's probably the best way to do it). I was apparently right about the stares when I told Gwen and Maggie that, I was kinda wishing that I wouldn't be though. Sighing, I walked outside in the crisp air alone…which was kind of a good thing. I figured my trip would be rather short, but I still let my thoughts run wild. And they really went everywhere. I thought about being at the House of Night now, being a Spirit vamp and what that meant, the evil and Darkness I found myself launched into dealing with, the incident with said Darkness in my room, Zoey and Stark being my Charges though not really knowing what that meant, Erik and everything about him. As I walked, I seriously felt the weight of my thoughts and current situation come crashing down on me, and I almost felt like collapsing because of it.

"How am I supposed to survive this?" I asked quietly, looking up at the star lit sky. I would admit it to myself finally, it was the first time I was alone and able to think about everything of the past few hours (dear Goddess it really only _was_ a few hours), and I was scared as hell. I was 16 freaking years old and here I was expected to help save the world and give life to an otherwise extinct race of vampyre, with all of this information dumped on me in a _few freaking hours_. This was _not_ how my life was supposed to end up.

The wind picked up a little bit as I continued walking towards the teachers' building, but it didn't affect me any. I suppose the fledgling powers were kicking in already, I wasn't susceptible to the cold. Then, I heard something strange that could _only_ have been on the wind. _Be brave, you are strong enough to overcome the obstacles._

Yeah, it was freaky, but oddly enough it settled me down and I felt an inner calm as I continued on. As I reached the door of my destination, I realized that I had heard that voice before. Such a delayed reaction I had, I was suffering from one of those off days apparently. I looked back and smiled up at the sky, "thank you, Nyx," I whispered and went into the building...

Holy crap this building was large! It was also different than the fledgling dorm, the ground floor was just stone and there were a few things here and there, but it was pretty basic. I noticed a stairway on the right and figured that was my best bet, there didn't seem to be any rooms down here. As I walked up to the next floor, I realized something, I didn't know where the hell his room was in the first place. It was official, this day had entirely fried my brains! I wouldn't had come over here looking for Erik without knowing where the hell he would be in this building had I been in my right state of mind, it just wasn't me. It just wasn't something _anyone_ would do unless they were totally nuts. If being a vampyre for one day was going to drive me crazy, well I had a long, interesting life ahead of me.

Sighing, I stopped on the landing of the second floor and formulated a theory and plan. If school just let out, then the teachers would probably still be in their classrooms or just coming back, meaning they wouldn't be back in their rooms, right? So all I had to do was find a room that had movement in it and knock, it would be Erik's, right? And if not…well I'd feel like an idiot, but I could ask where he was. With another sigh, I walked along the hallway of rooms quietly, listening to each one as I passed by. About halfway through, I heard some noises like someone moving around and stopped, looking at the door.

Taking a breath, I went over and knocked on it, stepping back slightly while I waited for someone to open it. I was about to give up and continue on when, finally, it opened and there stood the tracker I'd been trying to find. I let out a sigh of relief because I wouldn't make myself look like a total fool tonight…or right now anyways. "JC? What are you doing here?" Erik asked.

"Er, hi Erik. Can I come in?"

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><p><strong>Alright, next chapter gives some more information. And can I just say, that if you are reading, please review! As much as I love and appreciate Otterly's review (and will continue to love and appreciate them for however long they come), I'd just as much love to hear what other people are thinking as well!<strong>

**So yeah, please review! That's all**

**Roger that, Stormy out**


	10. Feelings Released

**A/N: I hope this chapter makes sense, it's explaining a bit of the Erik/JC backstory. I'm also throwing Erik a bone, since I believe he could sincerely be a good guy and I liked him in the start of the series. Now he's an ass, but I believe he could go back to being a good guy.**

**I was also thinking about writing a shorter story about Erik before he was Marked. It'd be him in high school and would get more into his backstory and family (since I gave him a little brother named Jason) and of course about him and JC too. Would anyone be interested in reading that? Because if no one is, I won't do it.**

**Oh, and I'll probably post later tonight since this is kind of a short, filler chapter.**

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><p><strong><span>Erik's POV<span>**

"Er, hi Erik. Can I come in?" she asked and I found myself stepping aside and letting her into my room without a second thought.

"What are you doing here? And how did you know where to find me?" I asked in total confusion. Technically, I was supposed to be sleeping since trackers are on an inverted schedule, but I couldn't do it. Between the thoughts about what I was becoming and meant to be doing and my thoughts about my first Marking, it was hard. The last thing I expected, though, was her to come to my door.

"Wow, these are definitely better than the fledgling dorms," JC commented and looked around when she was inside. She completely ignored what I asked.

"Yeah, well I suppose they are for the actual vamps," I agreed, still bewildered that she was here at all, "again I'll ask, what are you doing here, JC?"

She spun around to look at me and smiled a little bit, "can I sit?" she asked and pointed to the desk chair I had. I nodded and she sat down in the chair, then looked back up at me. "I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? Thank me for what? Marking you and ruining your life?" I asked, attempting to force the bitterness out of my voice. Thankfully it mostly worked.

"For getting me here and for getting all of my stuff here," JC answered and touched the necklace around her neck. Good, she found it at least. "I know Neferet didn't know or expect me here, so if it wasn't for you, I'd pretty much be screwed with everything that I had not being here," she continued, "how did you know?"

I let out a breath and looked at the girl for a moment. How had I known? "Guidance from Nyx is the only way I can explain it," I answered. I heard the Goddess's voice before I had to leave to Mark her and just had a feeling after to gather her stuff…it was Nyx, it had to be.

"Oh."

I watched her playing around with the pearl on her necklace and couldn't keep a slight smile from my face, "I'm glad you found it, I know how much it means to you. Why weren't you wearing it?"

"I'm glad you packed it…I nearly freaked when I realized I wasn't wearing it. Gassy Vassy had us running today, I didn't want to wear it for chance of losing it when I took it off," she explained. Ah, our old gym teacher who would _always_ pass gas in our classes but would never admit it. Even I had to agree with the girls that it was just plain disgusting.

"That makes sense. I couldn't figure out why you left it at home, but now I understand. Ah, Gassy Vassy," I sighed and shook my head, smirking, "I still remember the time he allowed us outside and we tied in our race."

"I beat you and we both know it, you just don't want to admit it," she teased and sighed. We sat in silence for a few moments and looked at each other, both reliving memories of our time together. We had some really great times with each other. I knew what was coming next, however much I _hated_ it. Old memories, it always brought up those questions in both of us. "We used to be such a good couple. Erik, what happened to us?"

"JC…don't start…"

"No," she cut me off, "I'm going to start. I think after nearly three years I deserve to know what happened. I'm not expecting some sort of apology, I gave up on that a long time ago, but I _do _want answers." Okay, admittedly, her saying she gave up on me giving her an apology hurt, and even though she was right on so many levels to do so, that bastard I hated to be started rising up. I couldn't control it, no matter how much I tried…I was never equipped to handle emotions like this well, and this other side of me just came out.

"I gave you answers then, JC," I snapped.

"No, you gave me bullshit," JC retorted, "it wasn't a real answer then, it was an excuse, justification for _why_ you did it. I was a 14 year old human…which wasn't true because I turned 15…and you were a 16 year old fledgling, that doesn't explain anything! I want to know what happened. I want to know what possessed you to go after that blonde ditz but still lead me on for three months. Was it something I did? Or something else? Really, I'd just _like_ to know."

"It wasn't something you did," I growled, grinding my teeth. That was the part of the truth.

"Then damn it, please explain to me what it was!" she shouted and threw up her hands, "I've been racking my brain from the day it happened to try and figure it out!"

We glared at each other for a moment again, Jen waiting for an answer, me refusing to speak. Looking at her, she was such a feisty, fiery girl and it'd only grown since I hadn't seen her. Goddess we bring the worst out in each other, I never actually believed it until that instant. Our fights were always bitter and loud, but we almost always made up. Now, now we just ripped each other apart…and it all started when she caught me cheating on her in the KC House of Night. No, no, not this time. I refused to do this again, she had a right to know, and I at least hoped I became a better person than when we last knew each other. "Because I was a bastard…is that what you want to hear!" I finally responded and blew out a breath, "because I was a teenage guy confused as hell about everything. Because she thought I was hot and I thought she was hot and I lost all common sense about what I had back at home. Because I was a huge ass not thinking about you and your feelings as I strung you along and damn it I'm sorry for being that stupid and inconsiderate," I admitted, "it's not enough, especially when it's three years late, but it's all I can offer now."

Jenny sat there gaping at me, stunned into silence by that admission I guess. "I-I…actually yes, that's exactly what I wanted to hear," she responded quietly, "why now?"

"Because I'm no longer that teenage guy…or at least not as much I hope. And you said you wanted the answer…I figured you deserve them by now."

"I'd like to think that I deserved them a long time ago. But still, thank you then, for that as well," JC nodded, her voice calm and back to normal now. Her emotional control was both a wonder and a danger.

"You did, I just didn't have the balls to admit it then," I agreed and looked away from her, "do you want to know something else?"

I caught her out of the corner of my eye looking me over warily, "I don't know, but I am now curious for sure."

"I missed, and still do miss, what we had," I admitted, "and looking back on my past two relationships…with Aphrodite and especially Zoey, I think maybe I got what I deserved there for what I did to you," I added and looked back to her.

JC smiled sadly and nodded, "I missed what we had too, it was the best relationship I've had when it was good, and the worst that tore me up when it was bad. And yeah, maybe I should be here defending Zoey and what she did since we're family, but I won't…because what she did to you was just as wrong. But, I do think maybe you did get what you deserved." Oddly, that was one of the things I missed about her, she didn't sugar coat things, she was honest and spoke her opinion. It got her into trouble, but it was refreshing right now.

I was surprised, though, to hear that _our_ relationship was the best one she'd had, "that's really saying something about your other relationships."

"Yeah, well, I don't have the best luck in dating apparently. Josh broke up with me because I wouldn't have sex and both Mike and Lewis cheated on me as well so…" she trailed off and chuckled bitterly, "really, not a good history."

"What about you and Pete?" I had to ask, "Jay told me you two were getting close, and he's a great guy."

"Never dated," she answered simply with a shrug, "we were both way too busy by the time I was Marked to do so and he is still totally in love with Jenny Thompson."

"Still has that hopeless crush?" I asked and couldn't help but to smirk.

"Probably will until he grows the set he needs to ask her out," JC snorted and shook her head with a smile, "what a group of friends I ever did have. And Jason was doing well. He was a popular kid, I think it just goes with the last name 'Knight'."

"I think it might," I agreed and chuckled. My little brother and I were a lot alike, I was popular during high school so it wouldn't surprise me he was too. I just hoped he uses it better than I ever did. It also struck me as odd that we fell into a calm, somewhat kind conversation about our old high school, a conversation kind of like what we had when we were dating. I suppose some things never change.

She let out a sigh and pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. "I'm glad we talked," she said finally and met my eyes, "we may never be what we once were…but I _do_ feel a lot better now," she admitted, "and I do, by now, guess that I forgive you too. Or, not so much forgive as I do forget and moved on…worse things have been done to me. It's been a long time since it happened, and Goddess knows that seeing you again brought up a lot of old memories and emotions, but I do feel better enough to forgive you for the distant past, I shouldn't hold _nearly_ as many grudges as I do. And I hope that you and Venus work."

Well that caught me off guard. "You know about me and Venus? Or, better yet, you know about Venus in general?"

"Zoey and I are cousins in case you haven't heard. She's written to me a lot and has mentioned the relationship, and her, a couple times," Jen explained.

"Yeah, how is that exactly? You and Zoey cousins I mean?" I asked. It never came up in our past and seriously, they looked nothing alike.

She sighed, "my mother was her biological father's younger sister. Her dad wasn't Cherokee, actually Grandma Montgomery was Scottish, she just got the looks from the Redbird side of her family and I got the Irish/Scottish."

"And you two are close?"

"Yeah, we saw each other a lot when her dad was around and when Aunt Linda wasn't married to the step-loser we kept in touch still, it was only when John came in that we were 'supposed' to lose touch, but we still wrote to each other," she explained and smirked, "Zoey was such a truthful rebel when it came to John."

I nodded, "I always got that feeling from her when we were together."

"Yeah, they did not like each other," JC agreed and sighed, "her Marking was a blessing in disguise to her. Hell, arguably so was mine. Oh, by the way, just figured I should let you know, you're officially talking to the first Spirit vampyre that's existed in four centuries."

"Should I feel privileged by this?" I asked and smiled just a bit.

"Honestly I don't know, but I found that out when I passed out…again…in the parking lot. Apparently I'm a new, old extinct race of vampyre that were heavily prosecuted around the times of the Salem Witch Trials and are blessed with Spirit during their Marking instead of Night, so I also have an affinity for the element, just to let you know what you Marked me as," she explained briefly.

"Sounds like I played an important part in history then," I joked.

"I suppose you could see it like that," she agreed, "you're taking it a lot better than just about everybody I've told."

"I've had more time to think about it than everyone else," I shrugged, "I'm going to have to get used to it whether it's a different Marking or not and whether I like it or not."

"That's a mature way to look at tracking I suppose," JC nodded and looked around, her eyes landing on a clock. It was already quarter to four and I think we both knew that she should be leaving relatively soon. She let out a large yawn and stood up, pushing the desk chair back under my desk. "I think now that that's all over with I should be getting some dinner and crashing in my new room. I'm only getting more tired from the day, er, night, and I need the sleep badly, despite what I got in the car," she announced.

"That sounds like a good idea for you, you're going to need it with what's going on around here," I agreed, "if you'd like, I can accompany you to dinner. I haven't eaten yet and well, I need it too," I offered.

"You can come if you want," she shrugged and walked over to me and the door, "it doesn't really matter one way or the other to me."

I nodded and followed after her as she exited my room. We left my room and the faculty building altogether as we made our way to the dining hall.

"It's a nice night," JC commented.

"Oddly peaceful after last night. It's welcomed, but enjoy it while you can," I warned, "do you know what happened last night?"

"I've been caught up, yes," she nodded, "it was apparently one hell of a night too."

"Yeah, it was," I agreed, "and it's only worse to say that a hell of a lot more will more than likely come."

Jen just sighed and nodded again as we walked in silence the rest of the way to the dining hall. A lot of fledglings were already in there and eating. Most of them stopped though and turned their attention to me and JC as we walked in, and the resentment towards my companion did not go unnoticed. "What'd you do to piss them off?" I asked and looked to her.

She shrugged, "they were like that when I left too, the girls were anyways. My Mark is the only thing I could think of. Now, probably because I'm with you."

"Yeah well, I suppose I have that effect on girls," I chuckled.

She glared at me for a moment and shook her head, "I suppose that's possible. Goddess I hope Gwen's here," she mumbled.

"JC, over here!"

We both turned to find the blonde in question sitting down at a small table with Maggie. "Well, it appears that you have a place to eat after all," I announced, "I should be going to eat with the other faculty…technically that's where I have to eat anyway. So, I bid you adieu, JC," I said and, taking a _huge _chance that she wouldn't punch me, bent down to hug her.

To my surprise, she hugged back for a moment before pulling back. "Bye, Erik, I'll see you around I'm sure," she said and turned around, walking over to her roommate. I watched her for a moment walk over to the table and I noticed her shudder, like she was cold. I wasn't sure why, but it was a bit odd. Setting it aside, I turned around and saw most of the girls and some guys still glaring at her. Goddess this place was turning upside down, and I had to stay here for another four fucking years.


	11. Telepathy is a Pain Sometimes

**A/N: As promised, another chapter. WARNING! This is a bit femslashy...nothing major, but since I know that there are some people who may be uncomfortable with it, I figured I'd be fair. It isn't much, I promise.**

**This isn't proof read as well, so if there are some mistakes, sorry.**

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><p><strong><span>Gwen's POV<span>**

After JC left on her quest to find Erik to thank him, Maggie and I stayed in my room for a bit longer, me starting on my work and her just watching me.

"You're so cute when you are so intent on school work," she commented like she does every time we're together and I'm working on something for my classes. She leaned over and kissed my cheek, and I responded with a smile.

"Well thank you, again, since you say that every time I'm doing something," I chuckled, continuing to write down the spells needed for situations. Spells and Rituals was still my favorite class, but it was nothing compared to what it was before all of this started happening, and before Anastasia died. I let out a sigh and continued working on what I had to make up.

"Just as you sigh every time you do work for that class," Maggie retorted and scooted closer to me, "what's on your mind now?"

"The usual," I answered with another sigh, "I miss Anastasia and just can't help but to think how Neferet is destroying everything and what happened with Dragon last night, I'm just…" I trailed off with a groan.

"Gwennie," she cooed and wrapped her arms around my waist, "you always come to this. I know you miss Anastasia, I'd be worried if you _didn't_ miss your mentor, but you can't let that get in the way of your school work and daily life, Crazy Bitch wins that way. As for Dragon, there's nothing we can do about that, he chose to not forgive Rephaim…and in a sense he went against the Goddess, we can't do anything but pray that he comes to his senses and doesn't officially join Neferet," she told me.

"I know, but last night he was so different. I'd never seen him so…resentful and angry, especially to Zoey and the group," I muttered and shook my head, "his thoughts flowed off of him that I wouldn't be surprised that anyone who wasn't a telepath could tell what he was thinking. The resentment and anger were one thing but what was so scary was the fact that by the end of the night he just…gave up. I know Rephaim killed her, but the fact that he chose Light and Stevie Rae has to mean something? Something enough to not…give up to Neferet," I vented.

"Ah so this is what it's about," Maggie said, "I hate it when your affinity troubles you like this," she mumbled and planted a kiss in my hair, "look, what happened to Dragon is out of our hands, it's his choice…may the Goddess light his way back to her path and may he choose to follow it. Now you need to focus, Zoey's back, so the full circle is here, and we can both tell them all that we want to help and be a part of it, not the circle, but what they're doing. It should be even easier now with your cute, little roommate being her cousin and all. And speaking of said cute, little roommate, she's got some serious power and freaky, Nyx's Chosen One stuff going on herself, which can only be better for us in the end," she explained and rubbed soothing circles on my back.

"Yeah, I suppose you do have a point," I sighed and agreed with a nod, plopping my head down onto the mattress in comfort. "Wait, my _cute_ little roommate?" I asked and shifted to look back up at her, smirking slightly.

"C'mon, you know I think you're gorgeous, darling," she responded quickly, "but you gotta admit she's pretty cute. I mean, she kinda has that innocent hotness going on."

I rolled my eyes and teased, "you just have a small thing for red heads, you and I both know that."

"Alright, alright, you caught me," she chuckled and raised her hands in surrender, "but it's such a shame she's straight…we could have _so_ much fun together," she added, voice implying too many things.

I looked at her a moment and just shook my head laughing, "you are such a perv, you know that?"

"Yes, but I'm your perv, and you love me," Maggie grinned at me.

"Yes, yes I do," I agreed and smiled, leaning over and gently pressing my lips to hers. She responded quickly, kissing me back and intensifying it. Her tongue swept across my lower lip, asking and being granted access. Usually this ended in one, hot make-out session, and this time was no different. I really didn't know how long we sat on my bed, tongues battling for dominance, but when Maggie pulled apart from me and started peppering kisses down my neck, I found that my legs had wrapped around her waist, hands tangled in her brown hair, and I was very, _very_ conscious of every one of her curves pressing against my body. No, we'd never had sex because I simply was not ready for it, but this was officially the closest we'd been.

"Goddess do I ever love you, Gwen," she breathed between removing her lips from my neck. She didn't experience bloodlust yet, neither did I for that matter, so there was no biting…_yet_. What did, surprise me though, was that I felt her hand slowly creeping up my right leg.

"Mags," I warned breathlessly and looked up to meet her eyes.

She looked at me a moment and realization flashed through her eyes. "Gwen, I'm so sorry," she said hurriedly and, blushing furiously, got off of me, "I just got a little too carried away I suppose."

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I nodded and smiled softly, "it's alright, I suppose I did too. I just want to get my homework done and dinner is soon so, probably not the best idea right now," I explained sheepishly and went back to working on my paper.

"And I think we freaked the animals out too," Maggie added and I looked up. To my pleasant surprise, Oreo was sitting in Quinn's bed and they both looked comfortable with _each other_. They were both looking up at us and, though I didn't have the powers my new roommate did with animals, I could tell they appeared to be a bit uncomfortable with _us_.

I chuckled, "yeah, I think maybe we did. Oreo's a little more used to it, hopefully he's helping Quinn out. I'm surprised she didn't go with JC," I added and went back to writing down.

"Well, if it's true that she's like her cat, then Quinn, since that's apparently her name, probably just didn't want to go," Mags explained. She wasn't there when we were talking about them.

My cat let out a 'mrrow' and looked up at my roommate's dog. She let out a small whine in response and the two got up and downright left the room. I could only laugh again and went back to working on my missed work/homework.

"Huh, I guess a cat and a dog _can_ be friends," Maggie commented, watching the two of them leave and smiling.

"Opposites attract, love," I reminded her with a stupid grin, as I almost did on a daily basis, "you should be aware of that by now."

"Mhm, I am," she mumbled and got up off the bed, going over to JC's part of our room.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking up at my girlfriend.

"Looking around, I mean, I didn't really get a chance to _seriously_ meet her yet, and you can learn a lot about a person based on what they own," she explained, looking at the books up on her shelf, "_Eragon_ I see…well she has a good taste in books at least. Oh, and she's a music freak," she added, catching sight of the instruments in the corner.

"She's a cool girl and stop snooping around!" I exclaimed and sighed, going back to my work again, "you're starting to get over protective of me with her and I'm fine. I like JC, and as far as I can tell, she likes me. It's a fine setup." Truth was, Maggie had done this with my past two roommates too and found things not to her liking, her not saying anything bad yet was a good sign.

"Yeah, I suppose she's alright," Maggie agreed slowly, doing another once over before seeming to be happy, "she doesn't seem too bad."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, finishing my writing assignment and setting my pencil down. "Glad to know you approve. C'mon, I'm hungry, and I need to get you out of here before you get yourself into trouble. Let's go to dinner," I said and got off my bed, going to the door.

"What trouble am I going to get myself into?" she asked, but followed me out of the room anyways.

"I don't know, but I know you, and it's totally possible," I answered and ran down the stairs.

She let out a sigh, "alright, maybe it is. But I wouldn't have done anything bad! I was just snooping for your sake."

"Well thank you," I chuckled and took her hand once we were outside, "but it isn't necessary. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

"Oh I know," Maggie agreed and grinned, "trust me, _I know_, but it doesn't mean that I still don't worry about you."

I just sighed and let it go. I wasn't going to win this, Maggie was uber-protective of me and that was that, it wasn't going to change so I might as well just accept it. We walked to the dining hall in silence. A lot of fledglings were already there, so we grabbed our dinner (they set out lasagna for us tonight) and went to sit at our usual table. The few of our friends already knew where we were sitting, but my roommate didn't, and I knew that her cousin and the circle wouldn't be here for dinner. "Mags, do you see JC anywhere?" I asked.

"Nope," she shook her head though, when I looked over at her, she had her head buried in her plate and was stuffing her mouth with the pasta.

"Thanks, glad you could look," I laughed.

She looked up and pointed, "she's coming in with Erik," she muffled around some lasagna.

I looked and sure enough, she was. I watched their interaction a moment and was surprised to see them hug before I called to her and my roommate came over to us…the glares not going unnoticed by me either.

"Hey," JC smiled when she reached us.

"Man, when did you piss in their Wheaties?" my oh so eloquent, and oblivious, girlfriend asked, noticing some of the girls still glaring at her.

"It's been like that all day really," she responded, unfazed by it on the outside at least.

"Go get some dinner and you have a bit more explaining to do," I told her.

She sighed, "I figured as much. Thanks for letting me eat first," she chuckled and went off to get her dinner. In the meantime, the rest of our small group of friends, Luke, the adorable blonde artist, Harley, our African American expert on all things history, and Zane, our own black haired, bad ass "protector"…as he like to put it.

We were talking quietly when JC returned with her food and looked around at the rest of the table. "Geeze, you two multiplied…and changed genders," she joked and sat down, "care for introductions?"

"Oh, sorry," I said, "JC, Luke Morgan, our artist, Harley, our expert historian, and Zane, he's…well he isn't much to us though he likes to think he is," I pointed to each one respectively and, before Zane could cut in, continued, "guys, this is JC Redbird, my new roommate."

"I didn't know you were expecting a new roommate," Zane spoke up and smiled at JC, "none the less one as striking as you are," he added. And here we go, "and don't listen to your roommate, I'm useful in a lot of ways to everyone here, I can _definitely_ be useful to you too."

Before I got a chance to reprimand the "ladies' man", she spoke for herself, "well, as pleasant as that sounds, I think I'm going to have to decline," JC said as politely as she probably could.

"That has got to be a new record for him being shot down!" Maggie exclaimed and the table, minus him, burst out into laughter.

"I really don't see how that's so funny," Zane huffed and crossed his arms, sitting back in his chair and glaring at us all.

"Please don't mind him," Harley told her, "the rest of us are as normal as we can be."

"Which isn't saying much for a bunch of freaks." Oh great, the last thing I wanted for JC, and the rest of us for that matter but _especially_ her, to be dealing with on her first day was _her_. "I see you've added another one to your table too, I suppose a freaky Mark like that deserves to be here," she added and caught the attention of everyone at the table, "tell me, are you like one of _them_?" she asked and sneered at Maggie and I.

"What's it to you?" JC asked before anyone else spoke up and smirked, "looking for a new girlfriend?"

"Please," she laughed cruelly and tossed her curly, chocolate brown hair behind her shoulder then smoothed her ridiculously short skirt, "even if I was into _that_, which very clearly I'm not, I wouldn't need to be _looking_ for someone."

"Ah, so you're one of _those_ people," my roommate responded, "tell me, what's your name?"

"Well, I'll let it slide this time since you're only a third former and it's your first day," she rolled her eyes, "Dee Summers, and you better not forget it."

"I can't promise anything. It's such a plain name and I am quite a forgetful person, so I apologize for the future if I do forget," JC responded sarcastically.

"It's a better name than taking 'Redbird'," Dee retorted.

"Got a problem with my name?"

"At least my name is associated with failure and evil," she shrugged.

"Huh, I didn't know Nyx's Chosen One was considered evil now-a-days," JC chuckled, "but hell, if it is then I'm damn proud to be a part of _that_ evil. As for the failure, Zoey has control over all five elements and came back from Nyx's Realm, both of which no other High Priestess has done before. What have you done during your four years here?" she asked, seeing Dee's symbol on her shirt.

"Followed Nyx's word through Nyx Incarnate Neferet," she answered haughtily.

My roommate actually burst out into laughter and nodded. "Okay, well, let me know how that ends for you, alright? For now, I'd like to get back to eating dinner with my roommate and her friends if that's alright with you," she said and pointed to her dinner.

Dee snorted, literally snorted, and turned to walk on to wherever she was going, "freak piece of trash," she muttered while going on.

To my surprise, JC turned around grinning. "Thanks for the warm welcome, homophobic bitch!" she called after her and turned back around, stabbing at her lasagna and eating. It took her a moment to realize that we were all looking at her in shock, "what?"

"You just verbally stood up to, and arguably won against bitch Dee Summers on your first day here!" Harley exclaimed.

"Utmost respect," Luke spoke up and mocked bowed to her.

"You are officially awesome in my book!" Maggie added and grinned. Glad to know that she would no longer be snooping around JC's stuff.

"Well, bitches and jackasses were a common occurrence at my high school, just as it is at any…that's how I got them to leave me and my friends alone," JC explained with a shrug, "it just may be a little more prominent now with all the crap going on around here."

"Yeah well, Dee doesn't really seem to give up that easy," Zane sighed, "aside from the fact that I swear she's Neferet's biggest supporter, both Maggie and I have been spouting off to her for a full year now and she hasn't left us alone."

"But you gotta know how to do it properly," she responded with a smirk.

"There's a proper way to do it?" I asked, thinking she was more than a little crazy.

"Yup," she nodded, "you gotta get under her skin without letting her know that she gets under your skin. So even if you annoy her and she knows that she's annoying you, she still thinks she's winning and it's like a game. You don't show annoyance, and voila, you win automatically." She was as crazy and evil as everyone else at this table…wonderful.

"That makes perfect sense actually," Luke chuckled, "psychological warfare…mess with their minds and such."

JC nodded in agreement and smiled. "Ok, so anyways, back to your explanation, again," I changed the subject and looked at my roommate, cocking my head to the side, "you know Erik? Because that interaction in here was more than just that of tracker and fledgling."

She sighed and nodded, "he used to live in Leavenworth, a block down the street from where I'm from. We dated for a time but broke up a few months after he was Marked. It was a surprise, to say the least, that he Marked me and brought me back here. We talked after I found him and thanked him and we walked down together."

"So it was an old romance between tracker and fledgling," Harley clarified and shrugged, "I don't even know what we're talking about really…just figured I should clarify," he added when we all looked at him.

JC nodded and went back to eating her dinner. We sat around and ate in silence for a while, not really having anything to talk about. After Dee, I think we all knew a lot more about our newcomer than we were wondering at the time, so there just wasn't much to say.

"So, JC," Luke piped up and startled us girls, "what's your schedule look like?"

"Oh, my schedule?" she repeated, "I have Vamp Soc, Intro to Music, Lit 101, Fencing, lunch, Spanish, and Intro to Equestrian Studies," she rattled off her schedule. Wow, she already had it memorized…surprising. "My cousin picked it out I'm sure because other than Music, it's her schedule too," she added. Ah, that's how it was memorized.

"Well, I don't have Music with you, but I do have Lit 101 and Fencing with you," he explained and smiled.

"Wait," JC suddenly said and looked at all of us, "am I the youngest one here?" she asked.

"In terms of former wise, yeah," Zane chuckled, "though Luke's a third former too. Gwen and Harley are fourth formers and Maggie and I are fifth. Now there's two of us in each former level…and we can't pick on Luke for being the baby," he added and smirked at the blonde.

"Thank Goddess," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, but I think we should still pick on Luke, I mean, we all saw what JC did with Dee, do we _really_ want that unleashed on us?" Harley asked and looked at the rest of us.

"He brings up a good point," Maggie agreed and smiled at Luke, "sorry."

He sighed and nodded, trying to hide a smile of his own, "it's alright, I'm used to it by now."

"I'm not bad with friends…" JC defended herself and smirked, "just bitches and jackasses. I mean, I'm still a smartass, that just runs in my blood, but it's a whole different kind with people that I actually _like_."

"So I suppose the question then becomes, do you like us?" Zane asked and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I like Gwen and Maggie…" she trailed off and shrugged, "I suppose if they like you I can too. You aren't evil so you're doing a lot better than most of the kids here in my eyes."

"So, if that's the case…are you giving us permission to pick on you instead of Luke?" he pressed.

"Not giving you permission, just informing you so you can choose wisely," she responded and shrugged again, shoving another piece of lasagna into her mouth.

"What if we just leave them both alone?" I asked. It was an obvious answer to me…but well, I thought differently than everyone else at the table.

"Gwennie, that's just insane," Maggie answered and rolled her eyes, "we _have_ to tease someone…otherwise we might just lose our minds!" We all got a good laugh out of that.

"Hey, if being the newbie means enduring the teasing, I'm all for it, just be prepared for come backs," JC announced once we'd settled down some. She let out a small sigh and started poking at the remains of her dinner.

"Good, we need some retorts, Luke just doesn't feed the fire," Zane sighed and shook his head, glaring at the blonde.

"If I don't encourage you, then you stop…it's common sense," Luke explained and shrugged, "can't blame me really."

We all agreed and fell into a silence for a moment, before our ladies' man just had to interrupt it. "So, JC, I just have to ask, I've waited long enough, what is with your Mark?" Zane asked and looked at her.

"Zane…" I groaned and smacked my forehead, having a very similar reaction to when Maggie asked.

"It's alright," my roommate shrugged and waved him off, "it's better than most of what I've been getting today, and I'd rather answer him and everyone else that doesn't know compared to Neferet, which will have to happen eventually…" she explained, "it's an odd Mark. To make a long story short, I've been Marked as a formerly extinct breed of vampyres known as Spirit vampyres, those who are blessed with spirit upon their Marking instead of Night, hence the purple Mark and the affinity for spirit."

"This is amazing!" Harley exclaimed almost instantly and grinned, "I mean, between Zoey with having all five elements, no High Priestess ever able to do that…and now the first Spirit vampyre, I'm actually a _part_ of history by meeting you!" He was ecstatic. Have I mentioned he's a history freak?

"I'm not the first," JC told him quietly and lowered her head, "my entire race existed in the past, but their history was entirely erased because they became extinct by violent force," she added, "the Salem Witch Trials and even before then persecuted our kind because they thought we were too powerful…they being other vamps and humans alike. I'm sure the European trials were for the same reason, but that wasn't actually said," her head rose and she looked at all of us, "we…they existed before me, but no one knows it except for the eldest vampyres on the planet."

The pain and sadness that radiated off of her, I'll admit, surprised me. I mean, she didn't know any of the vampyres of her kind…but I guess my confusion over that was my own answer as well. She didn't know any of them, none of her own kind could help her, and even just having an inkling of what happened to them was scary and sad for a new generation of the race.

"Oh," was the collective response from the table. We fell into an awkward silence for quite a while until someone's phone went off. JC almost jumped out of her skin at the noise and she looked down at her lap before her hand went to her pocket.

"It's a text message from my father…I guess it is almost five," she announced and appeared to be reading the message on her phone, "wishing me a good day," she added and laughed wryly, "if only he knew."

"Weren't your parents there when you were Marked?" Luke asked and looked at her in confusion.

"My dad's on a business trip in Ireland," my roommate answered, "if you don't mind I need to call him and let him know what's going on. So uh, excuse me," she excused herself from the table and walked out of the dining hall, ignoring the glares and stares she was still receiving.

"She's uh…an interesting one," Zane commented after she left the building.

"JC's really cool and friendly," I answered and sighed, "she's been through a lot already with it being her first day here and she didn't have that great of a childhood. It's why she's so…guarded."

"What happened?" Harley asked and looked at me.

"It isn't in my place to say," I responded and shifted uncomfortably, "I mean, it isn't my story to tell. She opened up to me because I'm her roommate and honestly, we made a connection," I admitted and heard Maggie let out a grunt and turn a speculative eye on me, "not like that, you know I love you and only you, Mags. But I mean, we just kinda clicked, we're a lot alike I can tell, and I think that's why she opened up to me. Her thoughts and emotions were _extremely_ guarded before we started talking and it took me a while to get to them in general, let alone decipher them."

"So she isn't very trusting then?" Luke more stated than asked.

"JC's cautious…and I don't blame her. Zoey's her cousin, she knows what's going on around here, I wouldn't trust a whole hell of a lot of people myself. Give her a few days and I'm sure she'll open up more, but until then…just be nice," I explained.

"I think we can do that, Gwen, for her sake and all of ours as well," Zane agreed with a slight smile, "she may seem like an interesting one, but she also seems nice…and cool…and pretty damn cute too."

"Zane, she shot you down in three seconds flat," Luke reminded him.

"Shut up, Luke, I can get just about any girl to warm up to me," he retorted. He thought he was such a player it was almost funny.

"Except for Valerie, Megan, Hanna, Sara, Gianna, Bailey, Star," Maggie started listing off the names of girls that our friend had tried to woo.

"Okay, Maggie, you can stop now," Zane huffed and crossed his arms, mock glaring at us all, "I'm not even sure why I'm friends with you all when you treat me like this."

We broke into a fit of laughter over that comment. When we calmed down enough, I looked down at my now empty plate and sighed. "I should probably be getting back to my room. I still got a bit of makeup work to finish for tomorrow and I don't need the vamps on me over that with everything else going on to," I announced and stood up, "so I'm going to head back to my room and finish the rest of that up. See ya tomorrow," I added and waved. Maggie pulled me down for a quick kiss and then I was free to go.

"It'd be so great if you two would do that more often around us," Zane cracked. As I walked by him, I smacked him upside the head for it and, with my job complete, left the dining hall.

It was a cool, peaceful night, or morning as the case was becoming. No one would have guessed about the events that took place the night before had they not known. I let out a yawn and stretched my arms and back as I walked, figuring out the rest of my morning. I had to finish my homework, feed Oreo, clean up the scattered papers I created from yesterday, and preferably take a shower before I got to sleep. It didn't seem that bad…I should be able to do everything plus still have a little time left over to read or talk with JC or whatever.

I was thinking about everything I needed to do when I felt a flood of emotions hit me. Looking around, I heard quiet talking that I couldn't make out and maybe a sniffle or two, and then I could just barely make her out. Sitting against the wall where the oak tree once was, was my roommate, I could only tell because her Mark stood out. Her head was against the wall and I figured her eyes were closed, and I only needed the way she was slouched down to know that she was upset, let alone the emotions I could feel were coming off of her. "She's talking to her dad," I mumbled to myself and shook my head, continuing on to the dorm, "she'll tell me if she wants to."

I got back to our room, still slightly worried about JC, to find an interesting sight. By JC's bed, in Quinn's oversized bed, were Quinn, Oreo, and a giant, yellow blob I could only imagine was Duchess. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked and couldn't help but to chuckle as all three heads shot up and looked at me. I sighed, I still didn't have the ability to talk to them, so I shook my head, "I'll just wait until JC gets back, just make yourselves comfortable."

They seemed to oblige and I started working on the chores I had to do, waiting for my roommate to return. I was surprised when I was finished cleaning up my papers when she came in. She was talking to her father for a long time…or something else happened. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in," I teased, "you were out a bit late. Please don't tell me Zane found you…"

She chuckled, "if that happened I would have been back a lot sooner. Nah, actually I was talking to my dad and somehow found myself meeting Lenobia."

"Sounds interesting," I commented and perked up.

"Give me fifteen minutes to use the bathroom and I'll explain…again."


	12. Grandma Redbird

**A/N: This is not proofread as much as I would like...so sorry for mistakes. It's also kinda short, so look for another chapter relatively soon with more announcements!**

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><p><strong><span>Zoey's POV<span>**

After JC left the dining hall with Gwen, the conversation mostly stayed about her and our relationship. It was a little uncomfortable…but it did make sense. I mean, it shocked me that my cousin walked into the Tulsa House of Night from Leavenworth to begin with, let alone with a strange Mark.

"So, your cousin seems nice," Stevie Rae commented finally, "you like her?"

"I love her like a sister, we've actually been through just about everything together despite what my parents thought," I answered, reminding myself that I had to eventually talk about my mom too. Crap, I could already feel a knot rising in my throat at the thought.

"Why didn't you ever mention her before?" Damien asked.

"I thought I did," I paused and thought about it…I guess I never really did mention JC to any of them, "well, I didn't mean to not mention her. I don't know, I guess after the whole Neferet thing I didn't really want to mention her because I thought Neferet would do something to her too."

"Well, that makes sense," Erin nodded.

"Agreed, Twin, not wanting your family to get into this shit is pretty understandable," Shaunee added.

I sighed, my family was already in it and suffering. "Yeah, too bad it didn't work," I muttered off-handedly.

"Whaddya mean?" Stevie Rae asked. Her best friend senses must be telling her something.

"I found out last night…" I paused and nearly choked on my words. Taking a breath, I started again, "I found out last night that my mom died."

The table sat in silence and watched me for a couple moments. "How'd it happen?" my BFF finally asked, her voice quiet and sympathetic.

"I…don't know," I admitted and looked at the table, "I just had a dream last night. And I know a dream may not mean anything, but Nyx was there, and I don't know why she would lie to me about it…so I think it's true."

"Have you talked to your grandma?" Damien asked and I shook my head.

"I'm going to call her tonight," I explained, "and hopefully figure out some of what's going on. Pretty much, I'll let you know when I know myself," I said.

"That seems fair," Damien agreed. All other conversation was cut off when the bell rang and we all got up from our seats.

"We'll meet at the entrance tonight right after classes let out," I announced, figuring it was best to set out a plan for this, "does that sound fair?" They all nodded, "ok, then enjoy the rest of your classes I guess." That would be hard to do…but what else do I say to them?

Spanish wasn't very much fun. It was like every class had been since Neferet had gone all evil, Professor Garmey didn't even speak Spanish the majority of the time! All we did were some Spanish worksheets and we were dismissed. I never really understood Spanish to begin with, but I would have rather at least spoken some as opposed to just doing worksheets.

Going to the stables with Lenobia was a little bit better. I took care of Persephone and her stall as usual and as I was brushing her, the Horse Mistress came in. Stark had gone off…somewhere, I think he was still outside the stables (after having to clean up the horses on the Isle of Skye he apparently didn't like the animal anymore) so I was alone to talk to her.

"Zoey?" I turned around to find Lenobia standing in the doorway looking at me and Persephone.

I smiled a bit, "hi Lenobia."

"I'm glad to see that you are still coming to school here," Lenobia commented and walked in, resting a hand on Persephone's neck.

"As I told Neferet, we would still go to school here, just not live here," I explained, "and with some of the stuff that just went on, I'm glad to still be here."

She nodded and looked at the horse a moment before continuing, "that's actually what I want to talk about, recent events. Neferet gave me another fledgling apparently. Are the rumors true that she is related to you?"

If it were any other teacher, I would be really hesitant to answer. I silently thanked Nyx that it was Lenobia who was my cousin's mentor. "Yeah, Jenny's my cousin," I nodded in response.

"And her Marks, are those rumors true as well?"

"It depends on what rumors you're hearing," I answered and laughed a bit. The situation wasn't funny, but sitting in Spanish class with the worksheets, a lot of people were gossiping about my cousin and her Marks. The common belief seemed to come down to she had purple Marks of varying symbols on her head, arms, and fully down her back. It was one of those times that reminded you that you _were_ still in a high school and how gossip can turn anything into something bigger. "Her Mark is purple and completed, but that's all," I explained.

Lenobia nodded and looked like she wanted to say something else, but decided against it at the last second. "She is in my sixth hour with you…I suppose I will meet her then," she mused and smiled gently to me before going back to the stall door. "I am really glad to know that Neferet did not keep you away from here, though."

"If she wanted to keep her appearance up, she couldn't…but I am too," I responded and went back to brushing Persephone. Out of the corner, I saw Lenobia nodded and walk away from the stall. I finished up with the class and met up with Stark (who was waiting outside) when the bell rang.

"What did Lenobia say?" he asked the moment we were out of the stables and took my hand in his.

"She wanted to know about JC, that's all," I shrugged a bit, "with everything that's being said about my cousin, I don't really blame her for wanting to know."

"Yeah I guess…the comments during Spanish were rather er…interesting," Stark commented and chuckled, "oddly enough though, I can see those two getting along."

I nodded, "they seem similar, it could work," I agreed. I let out a sigh and we walked the remainder of the way to the entrance in silence. We were the last two to get there since it seemed we had the longest walk and our entire group piled into the Hummer and went back to the tunnels.

It was a quiet ride and dinner, there wasn't really much to talk about. Classes were the same way before we left, boring, dreary, and Darkness covered. We also didn't know what we were doing about, well, _anything_, so there really just wasn't much to say.

Finally, Damien made a comment that sparked our interest. "Dragon wouldn't even spare me a glance today during Fencing," he told us as we sat around the table in the kitchen. We ordered a pizza (we're a bunch of teenagers, what else would we order?) thanks to Aphrodite and her parents' credit card.

"Do ya think that means he feels bad for what he did?" Stevie Rae asked and took a large bite of her pizza.

"Or does it mean he's so pissed and disappointed with us that he can't even look at us anymore?" Aphrodite continued. It was harsh to think…but a strong possibility.

"I…don't know," Damien admitted and looked at the table, "I kept trying to catch his eye for the whole hour, but he wouldn't even _look_ at me. He looked miserable though it's hard to say why he wouldn't look at me," he explained.

"I don't like how that's turnin' out," Stevie Rae twanged and shook her head, sending her blonde curls flying, "Dragon was an amazin' ally to have and now he's turned away from us…all 'cuz he can't forgive Rephaim like the Goddess. It's not boding well for us."

"I know, Stevie Rae," I looked at her and then everyone, "the only thing we can do right now is hope Dragon finds his way to the Goddess and from Neferet. Her having Dragon on her side is not a good thing, but it's a possibility we may have to deal with in the future. Right now, we can only wait to see what happens."

"That seems fair," Damien nodded, "and like the only option right now."

We finished dinner quietly again and right after I told everyone I had to call Grandma. I sat on the floor of the building above the tunnels to get cell service, Stark beside me, and finally dialed her number.

"Zoeybird," Grandma answered. She sounded tired and sad…and it made her sound…old, which worried me. "I'm glad you called, I figured you would. There's been well…"

"I know, Grandma," I cut her off and swallowed another lump in my throat, "I was…hoping it wasn't true."

"How did you find out?" she asked.

"I had a dream last night," I answered, "I saw Mom entering Nyx's Realm…Nyx was welcoming her. I didn't think it was true, or I was hoping it wasn't…but…" I trailed off and felt a few tears slide down my cheeks.

"Knowing she is with your Goddess is something to soothe my soul a bit," Grandma said and let out a loud sigh, "I came home early to find her on the porch…she was entirely drained of blood," she added. It was something that neither of us wanted to talk about, but something we should, "there was undeniable evil in the area too, I had to do a purification ritual."

"Darkness…" I whispered and shook my head, "I _knew_ she had something to do with this!" I exclaimed, my anger boiling over again.

"What do you mean, _u-we-tsi-a-ge-yv?" _ she asked.

"I thought Neferet was a part of this in the start," I answered, "the evil…the Darkness, it just fits and makes sense," I sighed and silently started crying, "there's nothing that can be done now, just another account against Neferet."

"You are being careful, Zoey, right?" Grandma asked suddenly. The last thing she wanted was for me to get hurt too.

"Yes, we all moved from the House of Night last night actually…after a lot of stuff happening," I explained briefly, "we're being as careful as we can be."

"Good, you need to be in little danger right now…especially during this time," she commented. "You will be free on Monday? That's apparently when the funeral is," Grandma continued, "John is taking care of the funeral. We are invited since we are family, but it should be a 'Catholic funeral since that's what Linda was in the last part of her life,'" she explained, her voice was slightly bitter and angered at the end.

"You aren't going to fight this!" I asked in surprise. I would've thought Grandma would want a more traditional, Cherokee funeral for her daughter.

"I won't fight over my daughter's funeral," she responded, "so long as I know her soul is at peace, then there is no point to do so. John was married to her, he does have a say in her funeral as well." She was being a bigger person, and I loved and respected her all the more for that.

"Ok, of course I will be there," I said and noted that finally, my tears had dried, "I will tell Jenny too, I'm sure she'll come," I added as an afterthought.

"Jennifer?" Grandma asked, "I thought you wanted to keep her away from this life after everything she has been through?"

I sighed, "that's hard to do when she's Marked. JC came into the school at the start of today."

"Well," she sighed, "it is a good thing that she is with you then. She will be of a help to get through this."

"I know, and she's already been," I agreed and smiled slightly, "and she's doing okay, so there isn't much we can do about it now. Speaking of, how are you?"

"Tired and saddened," Grandma answered, as I expected, "but I'm okay. I will get through this, though right now I do have to go and figure out a few things for this weekend and Monday," she added.

"Okay, I don't want to keep you. I love you Grandma, and stay safe please," I begged.

"I will. I love you too, _u-we-tsi-a-ge-yv_ ," she said, "goodbye, Zoeybird, I will see you Monday."

"See you Monday," I agreed and hung up the phone. I blew out a breath and looked to Stark, who had remained quiet and vigilant through the whole thing. I probably looked red eyed and snotty, and I was thankful when he pulled out a Kleenex from his pocket.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked as I unattractively blew my nose.

"Really," I answered honestly, "I just want to go to bed and get some sleep."

"As you wish, my Ace," Stark nodded and we both got up to go back into the tunnels. It was easy to get changed into more comfortable clothes and settle into bed. My eyes were already shutting the moment my head hit the pillow (I was tired!) "I love you, Z," Stark mumbled next to me and kissed my hairline.

"I love you too," I mumbled into the pillow and fell to sleep really quickly.


	13. Lenobia

**A/N: So this chapter is long as the other is short...heh. So, I said a couple announcements and I'll give them.**

**First, I won't be around again until Sunday...long weekend and all. Two, I've finally decided what I'm going to do with this. I know exactly how this story is going to be laid out, and it's going to be in three separate parts. This is part one, part two and three will be up after part one is done and so forth. Also, I decided that I will do a backstory to Erik/JC and all of that...it'll probably start in November since that's going to be when things calm down again. It'll more than likely be called 'When Things Were Simple'...I'll post a link here when that goes up.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

When my phone went off in the dining hall I was both relieved and nervous. I excused myself quickly and went out into the cool night (morning I suppose it was now) with a sigh of relief. It had gotten pretty awkward in there pretty fast...it wasn't like I didn't like them, because they seemed like genuinely nice fledglings (well…homophobic bitch Dee was an exception there but that _should_ go without saying), but I kinda made it get awkward pretty fast.

I don't know why it hurt to talk about a past that I never experienced and people dying whom I never met. Maybe it was because of the fact that I knew I would never meet them, that they could never help me, and that I wouldn't be the start of a new generation if none of that happened. Maybe it was because every time it was brought up, I remembered Nevma and her reaction and saddened face as she recalled the events that happened. Well, no matter what it was I didn't like talking about it and it made things uncomfortable…like talking about my family, except I knew why I didn't like to talk about them.

Huh, funny, my mind just brought me round trip. Sighing, I took out my phone and stared at the text message my father sent me. It was so warm and unknowing and I hated that. I was his little girl, the only family he had left, and now I was gone from his life too…and I had to break the news to him. Quickly, I pressed the call button and pressed the phone to my ear before I chickened out, waiting for him to pick up.

"Jennybeth!" I heard my nickname since I was two, it was a combination between my first name, Jennifer, and my middle name, Elizabeth, that only my father knew and was the only one ever allowed to use it. "I figured you wouldn't be up for school for another hour at least. Are you becoming a morning person now?"

I chuckled and shook my head despite him not being able to see it, "no, you know I swore I would never be a morning person. I just so happened to be up and went to check my phone, I didn't sleep very well last night," I explained, repressing a sigh. It wasn't a total lie since I hadn't slept at all since last night (and I was most certainly feeling the effects of that), and it put off the inevitable truth coming out for a while.

"Are you alright?" Dad asked worriedly, "are you getting sick again…is that why you didn't sleep well?"

"No, no, Dad, I'm fine," I responded, "I just had a lot on my mind last night with homework and tests and all. I should sleep better tonight. Anyways, enough about my sleeping patterns, how's Ireland?" I asked, changing the subject quickly to avoid talking about me.

"Aside from the business and contracts that we're having issues with getting out and everyone to agree to, it's gorgeous here," he answered.

"You can't stay stressed in a beautiful place like that," I sighed wistfully. I always, _always_ wanted to go to Ireland, not only to learn more about my family history, but because it was a stunningly beautiful place that held a lot of culture…at least in my opinion, but I am slightly biased. Honestly, I was the same way with Scotland too. "I really hate school, I want to be there with you _so_ badly right now," I complained.

"You'll make it here one day, Jen, that I'll make sure of," he promised.

"I know, you say that every time I go on my own mystical, mental tour of the countries," I joked and looked around. I had, while talking, walked over to the infamous east wall and sat down, I mean, I knew I did this (the walking and sitting down part) but I wanted to make sure where I was, since that was a blur. "Anyway, you say the business isn't going to great?" I asked.

"It's not that it's going bad," Dad answered and let out an annoyed sigh, "it's just tedious since McArthur and his men aren't agreeing to the payment we're putting down for them, we can't agree on the interest rates…"

Ugh, what did I just get myself into? I didn't understand business in the slightest, especially when it involved foreign countries none the less. "Dad…Dad…DAD!" I exclaimed, cutting off his rambling with a laugh, "you realize, despite the countless times you've _tried_ to explain this to me, that I don't understand one word you're saying right now…and that, as much as I love you, I don't really _want_ to be understanding it."

He trailed off and chuckled, "right…I forgot my daughter wasn't a morning person nor a businesswoman. That was always Daniel…" he trailed off and I closed my eyes. I swear, he never meant to do it, but anytime he brought up my older brother (or mother for that matter) it was filled with happy memories accompanied by a dull ache in both of our hearts. "But yeah," I shook it off as he continued, "it's not really bad since we should have a contract before our two weeks are up, it just leads to long days."

"Well at least it's going well," I commented and shrugged, "it'd be a different story if you couldn't come up with an agreement. As beautiful as Ireland is, I'm sure you want to come home." As much as my father enjoyed work, which varied depending on what he was doing, he loved being home and being able to sleep in his own bed. He loved being able to spend time with me too…but, well, we know how that'll end now.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to get home. The airplane ride, not as much," he agreed and laughed. I laughed with him, we both hated plane rides. "Well Jen, I need to be going…I have around a half an hour to get to my next meeting, and the traffic in Dublin is rather scary at times, and I'm sure you should be getting to school…"

Alright, moment of truth was right now. I had to tell him, so I let out a breath and interrupted, "actually, Dad, I'm sorta…kinda already at school."

"Really, this early?" he asked, "I thought you got all your makeup work done from when you were sick."

"I did, trust me!" I exclaimed quickly and sighed, "I just so happen to be at school in Tulsa, Oklahoma."

"Jennifer…" oh Goddess, his voice was low and warning, always was when he wanted answers because he was slightly confused.

"I was Marked yesterday," I answered the unspoken question quietly, nearly a whisper, "I was brought to the Tulsa House of Night, which is where I am right now, at school. Hence, I'm already at school in Tulsa, Oklahoma…I just figured I should tell you since you weren't there and I thought in the morning for you would be the best time and…"

"Jenny!" I have this habit that hardly rears its head anymore, but when I get insanely nervous or over emotional, I'll just ramble about anything for no reason and the speed of my words takes off like a racecar. Really, it's an unflattering thing and I was glad I was mostly rid of it, talking to my father about being Marked and out of the state was one of those things that got me talking a mile a minute. "Calm down, take a breath, and let me get a word in," Dad ordered and I took in a large, audible breath, "good. Now, you were Marked?"

"Yeah…yesterday."

"And you're in Tulsa with Zoey?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Wow."

"That's all you're going to say?" I asked in surprise.

"Currently, I'm attempting to gather my thoughts," he answered and let out a breath, "are you okay?"

"I'm quite fine actually, feeling better now than I have in the past couple of weeks," I answered.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"The tracker was kind enough to pack stuff up for me," I said, leaving out the fact the tracker was Erik. After our dating history…my father, understandably, was not too fond of him.

"Zoey knows you're there?"

"I met up with her first thing."

"Do you need me to do anything for you?"

"Right now…be understanding, don't freak out, and get home safe," I answered. I expected the first and third thing, even though Dad was a devout Catholic, he wasn't one of those wacko People of Faith hypocrites, he accepted other beliefs. The second, well he was doing rather well for the time being.

"Well I can be understanding, I know the science behind getting Marked and the religion, I'll get home just fine by plane when I can. And I can promise I'll try not to freak out on the phone…but, Jenny, you are my baby girl and always will be," Dad explained, his voice getting quieter at the end.

"Dad, I know that and you're always going to be my father…but I'm still alive and it's not like I'm that far away," I said, swallowing back some tears that were threatening to come out.

"But what about the Change?" he asked.

"I-I think I'll be alright with the Change…I just have a feeling Nyx has something special to do for me," I promised him quickly.

"You can't be positive of that, Jennybeth," Dad responded, even quieter, "I can't lose you too, Jen. Not after your mother and Danny, I'm already losing you enough with you being a fledgling now…but not from you…" though he trailed off I knew what the end of that statement was.

"For that reason alone you aren't going to lose me," I promised and realized my cheeks were now wet with tears. Damn it. "I would rather be with you, I would have rather you been there with me when it happened at least, but fate doesn't want it that way apparently. But I won't let you lose someone else, Dad, I couldn't bear myself if I let that happen to you again." Yeah, I can get emotional with my dad when it came to this level of extremity…not only were we family but we got along with each other and were pretty good friends, and I didn't care if anyone thought I was a dork because of it.

"You're going to promise me that?"

"I am," I said resolutely and nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"Well, if there's one thing I learned about my daughter throughout the years, it's that she keeps to her word," Dad responded after a moment, sounding a bit more relieved.

I smiled slightly, "I always do."

"So…are you adjusting well to your new surroundings?" he asked, obviously looking for something else to talk about.

"Yeah, the House of Night is a beautiful place, it has a very Victorian feel, but the buildings are gorgeous and it has some really nice landscapes and such," I started to explain. No, my father didn't know about what was going on at the House of Night and I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him then. "I haven't had classes yet, I start tomorrow, but I met my new roommate, I'll get along with her just fine. And I met some of her friends as well as Zoey's, it may have only been one day but I like them all, and I think they like me too. I should be alright." Well…socially I'd be alright anyways…I may get killed by a crazy ex-High Priestess and her Darkness…but that was another matter entirely!

"Well it's good that you'll be fitting in, you're gonna need the friends. Which reminds me, was Ally with you when it happened?" he asked.

"No," I sighed, "no one was except for Quinn, so she managed to come with me and the professors are fine with her. Telling Ally and Pete were both pretty hard too, though," I explained.

"How did they take it?" Dad asked sympathetically. I suppose he knew how close our group of friends was. It was kind of hard to miss anyway so…I'd be surprised if he _didn't_ know.

"Ally was in tears Peter was in shock. I feel so bad for him, first Haley who rejected the Change, then Erik, and now me. He's like a fledgling magnet without ever being Marked himself," I explained and sighed.

"He hasn't had the best of luck, I agree," he said and let out a sigh that I knew too well. He was late…and now that he knew and was calmed down, I should be letting him go. "Jen I…"

"Go," I cut him off with a slight smile, "I've kept you long enough from your meeting, though I'm sure they'll understand. Besides, I can call you again and we can talk better then, you can only be on time to your meeting in a certain window," I joked, though it was true.

He chuckled, "ok Jennybeth, I suppose you do have a point and I should be going. I'll call you soon?"

"It'd probably be better if I call you, I'm not up in the day anymore," I responded and chuckled myself, "but I will call you, I promise that much."

"Well, if that's the case I'll talk to you soon," Dad agreed, "I love you, Jen."

"Love you too, Dad," I said, "bye." I hung up after I heard a response and rested my head against the wall, blowing out a breath. Well, everyone that needed to know about me knew, that was done thank Goddess.

Deciding it was best for me to get going again (before Goddess only knows _what_ would find me), I sprung up to my feet and looked around. For some reason, I really didn't want to go back to my room. It was a nice, clear night and I could see the stars and half-moon against the sky, and I figured I should make the most of the time I had left…faintly in the distance I could see the morning sun rising.

So instead of going back to the dorms, I started walking around the campus, investigating on my own what Neferet didn't show me and what Zoey and Stark didn't have time to show me. I wandered around the campus for a while, taking in the night a bit, when a familiar smell hit me. Looking to my left, I discovered that I had somehow found myself at the stables for the school and I smiled. Aside from the fact that I would need it for tomorrow, I was really glad I found it. I volunteered at a local stable back in Kansas and whenever I was around the horses, doing whatever, it always calmed me down…I needed that calmness.

Figuring it wouldn't be a problem (or not even knowing that it _could_ be a problem), I went into the stables and looked around. It was a warm, dimly lit place that smelled of horses and hay, which was wonderful to be back in. I looked around a bit, pushing some of my hair out of my eyes, to find that not a lot of horses were in the stalls. Actually, I didn't see _any_ of the horses in their stalls, the Horse Mistress probably let them out in the ring.

I sighed and was about to turn back and go to my room when a voice stopped me. "_Lenobia, is that you?"_

I traveled a little further down among the stalls and found a painted mare standing in her stall, head hung over the door looking around. "Hello there," I said quietly a smiled a bit when I found her.

Her eyes focused on me and, upon seeing that I was not Lenobia, she backed up in either surprise or fear, "_you aren't Lenobia."_

"I'm Jennifer, I just came into the house today," I responded. The horse looked at me a moment in surprise before shaking her mane, she didn't know I could understand her yet. "You're a gorgeous mare," I breathed, catching full sight of her as she shook her head and stood in a shaft of light.

"_Everyone and their mother says that,"_ she responded bitterly.

"Yes, but very few mean it. You have a great figure for a horse and a beautiful coat," I explained. Yeah, I suppose to someone who wasn't me that was more than a bit creepy…I'm used to being around others who admire and make comments on the appearance of a horse, I kinda adopted the habit myself.

She stopped and stared at me for a few moments, "_c-can you understand me?"_

_ "I can understand and communicate, yes."_

_ "But you aren't Lenobia!"_ she exclaimed and pawed the ground. Well this wasn't going to end well if I didn't do something soon.

"No, I'm not Lenobia, but she's my mentor," I said calmly and put my hands up in a sign of innocence, "I wouldn't dare hurt a horse to begin with, but I especially wouldn't hurt one of hers. That's an _extremely_ bad way to start off." Though it came off as being light, it was entirely true. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt a horse _or_ piss off my mentor before I even met her. Zoey liked her…but she's apparently powerful and sharp-tongued, yeah, no pissing off the Horse Mistress.

"_Y-you won't hurt me?"_ she stuttered out, though was still pressed against the back of her stall.

Clearly something had happened to this mare, probably before she came to be housed at the house. Clearly, she had suffered some sort of abuse during her time and clearly, she wasn't going to trust me right away. It didn't mean I wasn't going to try…but I knew not to expect many results right away. "No, I'll give you my Goddess given word that I won't lay a hand on you in a painful manner."

She looked me over a moment, "_I don't trust you to that."_

I nodded and met her eyes, "I can understand and accept that. Can I at least know your name? You can call me JC if you so choose," I asked.

The mare seemed to debate a moment then nodded herself, "_my name's Athena."_

"Well Athena," I said and leaned against the door to the stall. She stiffened for a moment but relaxed a bit when she realized I wasn't going any further, "it's nice to meet you."

"_It's uh…nice to meet you too I suppose,"_ Athena agreed and looked at me in confusion.

"That is truly remarkable." I jumped from my position on the door and twirled around to see a woman, somewhat short in stature, watching me and the horse with slate gray eyes…oddly similar to my own. Blonde hair was pulled into a long braid down her back, her Mark easy to see. The moment I saw the plunging horses, I knew she was the Horse Mistress Lenobia. Oh damn.

"I um uh…wait, what?" I asked intelligently as I realized exactly what it was she said. I expected to be in trouble.

"Athena has never been so calm around any fledgling ever, or anyone really besides me," she answered, "especially someone so new to the house. I know she isn't coming up and nuzzling you, but usually she throws a fit," she explained and her gray eyes landed on me, "what are you doing here?" It wasn't phrased harshly, but it was still obvious I shouldn't have been there.

"I uh…wandered here," I answered lamely, even though it was the truth. Her eyebrows rose in disbelief and I shifted a bit uncomfortably, "seriously, if I was lying I'd come up with a much better excuse…I'm really not familiar with the rules and times here and such…I just needed a place to calm myself down after a conversation I had and I've always been fond of stables and horses," I explained, "I didn't mean to break any rules."

She looked me over and must have seen my Mark, because her eyes and posture softened some and I could see the faintest hint of a smile. "You must be Jennifer," she said matter of factly.

"Yes, but JC will do with me, easier to say," I said a bit warily and looked at her, "you're Lenobia, my new mentor correct?" I asked.

"And the Horse Mistress of this school, yes," she nodded and uncrossed her arms, "I suppose I should welcome you to the House of Night, since I can't imagine Neferet did a very good job of that."

I snorted and shook my head, "she kinda left that stuff up to my cousin and Stark to do…and seeing as though they had classes we didn't get a lot done. I know where the dorms are…I was successful in that, or more, my roommate found me and brought me there," I sighed and then realized what I said, "um…sorry, it's been a long, and rather interesting day, not meaning to dump this on you."

"I'm your mentor, you can come to me for anything, especially during your first few days. They can be extremely stressful," Lenobia told me, "during a time like this none the less."

I relaxed at her words, realizing she was not angry with me, and that she was actually willing to help me. "Thank you for that, it is nice to know that there _are_ adults here that will listen," I responded.

"Of course, as I said, I am your mentor and here to help you" she added and looked at my Mark again, "but, going along with that, you will need to help me as well. You have been blessed by Nyx, JC, I hope you understand that."

"I know what I am to her," I nodded, attempting to not sound pompous. I knew what I was to Nyx, but it didn't mean that I was…well…going to be a bitch about it.

"A Spirit vampyre brought back to the modern world."

My eyes widened in sheer surprise when Lenobia said that. "You _know_ what I am without me telling you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice quiet, which was semi-successful.

She let out a small chuckle at my shock and nodded, "I am probably older than you think, which I suppose I should thank you for. Though I was not born during their time, I have learned about them through my time during school and one of my best friends was a very well-known historian who wrote a lot about them," she explained and placed her hand on my shoulder, shivering slightly. A cold wind swept through the stables and I contained a shiver myself, which was strange since the air didn't bother me earlier. "Let's continue this in my office," Lenobia said and led me to a small, side room in the stables with a desk, chair, and some papers. Her office was in the stables, of course.

"Was a historian?" I asked once we settled in and the Horse Mistress closed the door.

"I suppose you could say he still is," she agreed, "he just doesn't write about the Spirit vampyres anymore. His last book on the topic was three years after the High Council banned all teachings of them in any House of Night, it wasn't very flattering of the High Council or vampyre race at the time it happened. After that they silenced him."

I looked at her in surprise again (apparently my mentor was going to do that), "silenced as in…?" Silenced to me meant killed, I would've thought the High Council would have stopped that after the Spirit vamp massacres.

"They threatened his career if he didn't stop writing about the race. He actually had to go into hiding right after he wrote the book for a year to give time for the High Council to 'cool off'. Afterwards, they promised him that if he didn't stop writing about the Spirit vamps, they would assure he would lose his job, if not be thrown in jail," Lenobia explained, "they wanted the teachings and all records of the Spirit race gone…it was just that horrible of a time for vampyres." Oh, that makes more sense.

"That seems like an infringement on freedom of speech, press, and expression if you ask me," I commented.

She nodded solemnly, "so it would seem."

I gave a slight nod and looked around the room for a moment. It was pretty plain, just a desk with some papers and a computer on it, a few chairs, and a gas light. "I just can't believe someone else knows about me here and I didn't have to say anything. I know that there are a few vamps out there that know about what I am, I just didn't think it'd be…this easy."

"Sometimes it's needed in life to get by," Lenobia answered and looked at me, "tell me, have you discovered your affinity for the element yet?" she asked, getting right down to business.

"A couple minutes after I left the infirmary today," I answered, "I was given Charges in Zoey and Stark," I added, hoping that she would understand. Even if it was only a day, it was extremely nice to have someone to talk to who actually _understood_ what I was talking about, and I didn't need to get into the freaky Nyx dream.

"Charges already?" she asked and I nodded, "I suppose it's understandable. After everything that has happened to Zoey, your support to her is probably needed just as much, if not more, than Stark's. And your guide animal, I'm assuming it's a horse?"

Guide animal? That wasn't mentioned. "I uh, am not quite sure what a guide animal is exactly…" I trailed off and looked at her.

"Because of their close connection to spirit, they can often travel into the Otherworld to protect and do whatever needed for their Charges, and in the Otherworld they often take form of an animal. The Spirit guide can shift into that animal in the physical world as well. Athena could understand and communicate with you, I'm assuming your guide animal is the horse then," she explained.

Oh, duh. Nyx and Nevma didn't call it a guide animal…but I should've been able to put two and two together. "Actually, it isn't just horses I have an affinity with, it's animals in general. I can communicate with and transform into any animal, it's why Quinn, my dog, and I are so close," I answered and gently wrung my hands, "but, I think, with the way you are talking about it, my guide animal would be the wolf…I feel the closest connection to the wolf."

Lenobia's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "you're able to shift into any animal? And you're closest animal is the wolf?"

"It's why my Mark's fully purple, I think," I answered and looked down to the desk, trying to figure out to say what I was thinking, "any animal, yes, but the wolf has always been my favorite animal and the one I have always identified myself as most."

"Always? How long have you been able to shape shift?" she asked.

I cleared my throat and blushed slightly, "since I was seven."

Again, she seemed even more surprised, but said nothing about it. I was thankful for that, it was the first time anyone asked and I felt the need to answer truthfully to my mentor, it would help I hoped. "Do you know that the wolf is the animal representation of spirit? And that no High Priestess before you has had an animal guide as such?"

"Damien informed me of the first, and yes I know the second as well," I nodded, "as I said, I think that's why my Mark is sheer purple. I have a closer affinity to Spirit, and thus its representation animal, than the past."

Lenobia shook her head and let out a disbelieving chuckle, "you really are a Daughter of Nyx. You really are a Spirit vampyre brought back to our modern world."

I smiled, "trust me, I'm having just as hard of a time believing it."

"It is a great sign for us, and for Light, I'm sure that was part of Nyx's reasoning for Marking you," she told me, "do you know what it is exactly that you're going to be finding yourself mixed into?"

"The gist of it," I sighed, "Zoey Redbird is my cousin, if Neferet or Zoey didn't mention it. We were in touch constantly and everyone caught me up the rest of the way after what happened in Venice. I know the general info needed to launch myself into this," I explained.

"And you want to launch yourself into this?" Lenobia asked, her gray eyes totally serious as she met my gaze. She wasn't going to be disappointed in whatever way I answered, I could see that in her eyes alone, and even though I only knew my mentor for twenty minutes, I could see the concern as well.

"I want to do whatever it is that Nyx has Marked me here to do," I responded sincerely. And it was the truth, if I was meant to fight against Darkness, then I would do it without batting an eye, "if that means I am to fight Darkness, then I will with every ounce of my being."

"You are a very strong-willed and determined girl," she pointed out, a slight smile coming to her face.

"I've grown to learn that those are two qualities in life that you want to possess if you want to live properly and not be knocked down," I answered, "and I don't intend on being knocked down by anyone while I'm here."

The Horse Mistress nodded and stood from her chair, "then I no longer have any doubts about anything. You and I will get along quite well, JC, and I can see very easily why Nyx chose you to be a Daughter of Spirit."

Well that was an extremely certain and quickly made judgment, but I'd take what I could get. "Thank you, I think you're right, we should get along quite well, and I'm glad Neferet unwittingly made you my mentor," I said in return and got up as well.

"We'll just consider it Nyx smiling down on us," Lenobia smiled and grabbed my forearm in traditional vampyre greeting. I returned it and bowed as well before meeting her eyes again, "you should be getting back to your dorm. It's already past curfew for you and I'm sure you're tired from your day," she added.

"Yeah," I chuckled, "it has been a long day. Thanks, Lenobia, and I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, sixth hour."

"Yes, you will," she agreed and came to the door with me, "stay safe until then."

I thought she might have been kidding, but looking at the Horse Mistress, I saw she was totally serious. I nodded, "I intend to. Merry meet."

"Merry meet, JC," she nodded and I left the stables. Quickly, and wrapping my arms around myself because I felt a chill despite the sun coming up and the fledgling build up against the cold, I skittered through the campus back to the girls' dorm and then, even quicker avoided the eyes of the few remaining girls still awake and went straight to my room.

I breathed a small sigh of relief when I got into my room. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in," I heard from Gwen and smiled, "you were out a bit late. Please don't tell me Zane found you…"

I laughed, "if that happened I would have been back a lot sooner. Nah, actually I was talking to my dad and somehow found myself meeting Lenobia."

"Sounds interesting," Gwen commented.

"Give me fifteen minutes to use the bathroom and I'll explain…again," I promised and grabbed a change of clothes from my closet for sleeping in. I noticed an extra lump in Quinn's bed when I passed and looked curiously. "What the…" I trailed off and shook my head when two dogs and a cat looked up to me, "I'll ask when I'm done changing."

I walked into the bathroom and shut the door, looking at the stuff I had. I looked to the shower in debate before deciding I would just change…I could shower in the morning (night, whatever). I quickly shed the school uniform and threw a baggy T-shirt and a pair of PJ pants on. I went over the sink and washed my face before running a brush through my hair and pulling it up.

"Alrighty," I announced, walking out of the bathroom and standing in front of my dog's bed, "what is it that brings Miss Duchess to my room?" I asked.

"_Damien left a note on the desk, that'll explain everything,"_ Duchess answered and pointed her nose at said desk.

"Huh," I muttered and walked over. Sure enough there was a piece of paper addressed to me and Gwen on the desk. I picked it up and skimmed over it.

"What's that?" Gwen asked, turning her head from…heh, _Eragon_…to look at me.

"It's a note from Damien about Duchess addressed to us," I answered and went back over to my bed, "Duchess and Quinn apparently hit it off, not that I'm surprised…and they both seem to be fond of Oreo too. He figured that there may not be enough room in the tunnels for her, with all of the cats that were going…and he also figured that Duchess needed and deserved a good, similar friend after well…" I trailed off and looked up to Gwen, she knew what I was referring to. Goddess, I didn't even know Jack and I didn't want to mention his death.

"Ok," she agreed, "so Damien wants her to stay here?"

"If we're willing," I nodded, "apparently Darius and Stark brought her stuff up to our room while we were at dinner or something," I said and looked around, then pointed to the food and dishes and stuff I saw with Quinn's, "and there it is. I mean, it's totally fine with me…but then again if I could have all the animals I wanted, I'd be the lady living down the street with two million cats…" I added and shrugged, looking to Gwen.

"I mean, they all seem to be getting along, I don't see why she couldn't stay here, especially if we have her supplies and don't have to get them ourselves," Gwen shrugged.

"Well," I said and turned to Duchess, Quinn, and Oreo, "welcome to your new abode, Duchess. Do I need to feed you guys?"

"_YES!"_

I sighed and chuckled, "Gwen, Oreo's hungry. I'll deal with Quinn and Duch," I announced and got up. We fed our animals quickly and I had to jump out of the way as two dogs nearly toppled me over to get to their food dish.

"Alright, they all satisfied now?" Gwen asked and sat back down on her bed.

I looked at all of them eating and chuckled, "yeah, I think they're fine and should be for a while."

"So you gonna explain what happened while you were out?" she asked.

I sighed and nodded, "I suppose I should." I launched into a brief explanation about how I talked to my father and then what happened with Lenobia. Gwen seemed just as surprised as I was to find out the Horse Mistress knew what I was.

"So…Lenobia knew what you were by your Mark, before you even had to tell her?" Gwen asked when I was finished with my recount.

"Yeah, she did. Crazy right?" I responded and laughed slightly.

"Insane," she agreed, "but in a really good way. If Lenobia knows who and what you are it'll be a great help to you, especially because she's your mentor. It's better than having anyone else know it, the likelihood of them explaining it to you is really slim."

"Tell me about it," I snorted and looked around, my eyes landing on the clock in the room, "it's really getting late, isn't it," I commented, surprised to see the time.

"I would've been asleep half an hour ago if I wasn't waiting for you," she nodded.

"You didn't have to wait up for me!" I exclaimed, "Goddess, I'm sorry Gwen, I didn't know."

"JC," Gwen laughed, "it's fine…I waited up myself, it isn't your fault. And it's not like we won't get the required sleep for a human anyway."

"We aren't human though," I pointed out the obvious and fell back on my bed.

"True, but we need around the same amount of sleep, usually we get more anyway but we only need 8 hours," she explained and chuckled, "well, you might need more after being Marked and the hell of a day you had…but normally we don't need any more sleep than a human."

I yawned, "well, I do hear that. Being in PJs and on this bed is making it extremely hard to keep my eyes open," I told her and shifted to get under the covers.

"I don't blame you at all, roomie," she commented, "and I'll stop talking to let you sleep. Night, JC."

"G'night," I mumbled around another yawn and settled myself into the bed before shutting my eyes and allowing sleep to take over.

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><p><strong>AN: More POV's and action coming up =D.**


	14. Persuasion

**A/N: Yes, I know...I was supposed to update on Sunday! Things got hectic, it was the end of the grading period and all that. So, you all get it on Tuesday, not that much longer...right?**

**Anyways, in light of _Destined _being released today, new chapter! I can't wait to pick that up :D**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I own nothing but this plot, JC, Gwen, Quinn, and Maggie...it isn't much to go off of but when life throws you lemons. The song JC sings in this is 'Starry Eyed' by Ellie Goulding, I don't own it but it's an awesome song...so you should check it out!**

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><p><strong><span>Kalona's POV<span>**

I sat perched on the edge of the balcony of the Gilcrease Museum. It was by chance that I found the place I needed far enough from the House of Night. Though it was by chance that I had discovered the area, as I explored the building I found signs of life, specifically that of one of my sons. And I could guess which son it was.

My mind still spun from Rephaim and I still felt the betrayal coursing through my blood. He chose the Red One over _me_. He chose some vampyre, however powerful she may be, over his own father. And it was not even to plan anything, I could see it in his eyes. Somehow, my favorite son had fallen in love with a vampyre, and she him. I did not think it was possible, I was still questioning how it _was_ possible.

I heard the rustling of some of my sons in the building, some had come with me, and I lifted my head at the sounds. In response, my eyes caught sight of the moon above my head and I was only reminded further of the events of last night. Nyx had come into the fray last night and granted my son the human body she figured he deserved, yet still somehow punished him. She did not take a glance at me and it was just another reminder of the mistakes I made in my life. She had not taken a glance at me since the day I had fallen, except for the time in the Otherworld with Zoey and she downright banished me. It was not the glance I had hoped to receive. If I could go back to last night and actually speak up, I would.

But I could not even do that. For the time, it would be very dangerous to my well-being for me to go back. Neferet was not happy with me right now, and though I was no longer under the Tsi Sgili's control, I knew it best not to go back. Eventually yes, I had to admit, I would probably go back to Neferet at some point. She was powerful, she would be an asset, and after she found the connection I had with Stark, she would probably welcome me back. That is, however, if I played my cards right. Getting back with the Tsi Sgili and using her to my advantage would be a mind game that I could easily win now that I knew what I was up against.

Thinking about the connection with Stark made me wonder exactly how that little group was getting along. After being kicked out of the House of Night, or Zoey choosing to leave (really both result in the same way in the end), I was quite curious to see how they were doing after last night.

I walked back into the museum and into the room I made my own. Laying down on the makeshift bed, I closed my eyes and called upon my connection to dreams. Stark was sleeping, which was a good thing, and I slipped into his mind with ease.

Before doing anything to the boy, I just let his memories play before my eyes. Ah! What interesting developments we have here. The entire group, including that of my s-Rephaim, is living in the tunnels. That is good information to know, even though I do believe young Zoey mentioned it before she left. Speaking of Zoey, it was nice to know that her mother was dead. Well, not nice information for her I suppose, but more knowledge I could use as leverage against Neferet, or at least information she could not use against me. It was doubtful that she did not have something to do with that death.

I was mulling this new information over when something quite striking crossed my mind. I only saw a glimpse of this information, but it was enough. There was a new student at the House of Night, so they are still going to school. And this new student, well she was definitely different. I wasn't sure how, I did not have the strongest connection to Stark (it was still young) and his mind could still hide certain information from me. She was different however, and had a connection to Zoey.

Now this knowledge was more promising. Neferet was still running the House of Night for the time, and she more than likely met this new fledgling. However, if she did not know how this girl was different and I could figure it out, well then I had something over her. And that would be how I would have to play my cards right.

Stark was having bad dreams, I made sure of that when I was going through his most recent memories. I was going to torment him some more when something truly odd happened. I could not get further into his conscious. The Realm of Dreams is a hard thing to explain, and it is even harder to explain how the connection I have with Stark works, but I could not enter the realm of his mind.

It was like I was stepping into a barrier that I just could not get passed, and it both puzzled and angered me. My struggles and attempts were so hard that I almost missed the creature that walked and stopped in front of me, though behind the barrier. A jet black wolf stood on the other side, but it was not just any wolf. Two violet bracelets wrapped around its right paw and a violet Mark stretched across its forehead.

"What are you doing here?" I asked it harshly. Was this creature really blocking my path?

It bared its teeth and snarled, ears back and eyes glinting purple. "Fág!" it snarled in a female voice at me in another language and let out an ear shattering howl.

I was tempted to lunge at the she-wolf, despite the barrier, but I felt myself being tugged backwards. My eyes snapped open and I was staring at the ceiling of my room in the Gilcrease Museum. I had just lost my connection, I was expelled from Stark's mind by some wolf! I attempted to get that connection back but to no such luck…it was temporarily blocked from me.

I let out a grunt in anger and closed my eyes again. The wolf's image appeared in my mind again, specifically her eyes. They were familiar it seemed. They were not of any color I remembered, a bright, unnatural violet, but they seemed familiar.

"Oh Wa-ya, how you always puzzle me."

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

Ok, last night absolutely and entirely sucked. Seriously, despite all of the crap I went through yesterday, I got absolutely _no_ sleep. Alright, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, I got _some_ sleep but it wasn't really good. I was tossing and turning the whole night and, for some reason I was getting some weird ass dreams. Said weird ass dreams though were unexplainable and I couldn't remember them to save my life. It was either just some more freaky stuff in my life, or nerves getting to me about my first day as a vamp at the House of Night. I preferred to think it was the latter.

When I woke up for about the fifth time, I looked over at my clock to see it was only 6 in the morning (er…night maybe? Whatever, it was 6 p.m.) and I had an hour before I had to get up, let alone start my first day of school. I also had two weird thoughts in my head, ravens and a fierce need to protect. Putting it to the back of my mind and figuring that I wouldn't get anymore sleep, I quietly got out of my bed and looked around the room. All three animals were sleeping soundly and I could hear Gwen snoring…good, I didn't disturb anyone.

Deciding that I could at least do something semi-useful for myself, I tip toed into the bathroom and shut the door. Taking off my clothes, I turned on the water to the shower and stepped in, making it cold at first to give me a wake-up call. Once I felt my toes go numb and my eyes were wide enough to be awake, I turned the water back to warm and took probably the longest shower of my life.

After taking a half an hour shower at least, I got out and looked around the bathroom. "Shit," I mumbled and rang my hair out. I forgot to bring a change of clothes in. Sighing, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself before quietly opening the door and going out into the room. It was 6:28, still had another half an hour just as I thought. Gwen was still in her bed, snoring lightly…I'm apparently stealthier than I thought I was. Is it odd to say that I felt kind of ninja like?

I opened the door on my closet and grabbed the essentials, a bra and underwear, a black blouse with the third former symbol, and I forewent the jeans for a long, black skirt. I decided it was my first day, I'd make a good, classy impression. I went back into the bathroom and tugged my clothes on after wrapping my hair up in the towel for it to dry.

Content with everything in my outfit, I went over to the sink and mirror to deal with the rest of my morning routine. My reflection in the mirror, however, decided it wanted to throw a wrench into my plan.

"Ugh, I look terrible," I muttered, pulling at the skin under my eyes. My Mark was still there in all of its violet glory, I probably would never get used to that. But aside from that, I had dark bags under my eyes and I was rather pale, ghostly pale actually, not my normal pale…it was evident that I didn't have a good night's rest.

"Well," I sighed and blew out a breath, "bad night sleep you're going to make me do something I don't normally do. My makeup's in here somewhere…" I commented and grabbed at the small, black bag resting on the back of the toilet. I didn't usually wear makeup for two reasons. One, I most of the time didn't really give a crap about what I looked like. And two, usually I was spending that time doing something vital to survival, like sleeping or eating. The fact that I had time to do so and actually looked bad enough for me to care said something about just how bad it really was.

I unzipped the bag and started rummaging around for everything I needed. I applied mascara just because my eyelashes are naturally horrible and short, then set to work to cover up those wonderful circles and pallor. "This is _not_ going to be conventional for what I'm doing today," I smirked at the reflection in the mirror. Equestrian studies and fencing…yeah makeup was exactly what I needed!

A coat of foundation, concealer, blush, and lip gloss later I was looking a bit better, or at least to the point that I didn't look half dead. It didn't look half bad either, and I was now thankful that Ally had sat me down and forced me to learn how to apply good, natural looking makeup (not that creepy, overly done crap that sluts think looks cute or whatever). She would be proud.

I also had started singing quietly. See, I have this thing with bathrooms, I don't really know why. If it isn't overly crowded and I'm not using it for the toilet…well, I always start singing. It's like singing in the shower to the extreme since I did it…well…almost every time I was in the bathroom.

"_Oh, oh, starry eyed. Hit oh, star-r-r-ry eyed. Oh, oh…starry eyed. Hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit me with lightning,"_ I sang to no one in particular. Why that song? I don't know…it just popped into my head.

I grabbed my hairbrush and took the towel off of my head. My red hair was still a mess, but more or less dry, which was good. "_Handle bars, and then I let go, let go for anyone. Take me in and throw out my heart and get a new one. Next thing, we're touching. You look at me it's like you hit me with lightning, ahhh," _I continued singing and started getting the brush through my hair.

Let me just say, it's hard to dance and brush hair at the same time…but I did it anyway because I wanted to. Let me also say, that I can't dance to save my freaking life! But yes, I was dancing around the bathroom with a tangled mess of hair attempting to be fixed by the brush. "_Oh, everybody's starry eyed. And everybody glows, oh, everybody's starry eyed. And my body goes whoa oh oh, ah ah, whoa oh oh, ah ah, whoa oh oh."_

"_So we burst into colors, colors and carousels. Fall head first like paper planes in playground games. Next thing, we're touching. You look at me it's like you hit me with lightning oh! Everybody's starry eyed. And everybody glows, oh, everybody's starry eyed. And my body goes whoa oh oh, ah ah, whoa oh oh, ah ah, whoa oh…"_ I was full out dancing now, singing into the hairbrush (don't judge me!) and prancing around the bathroom to the beat in my head. The only reason I stopped was because I looked back to the bathroom door to find my roommate leaning against the frame, smirking at me wildly.

We stared at each other for a moment totally serious, except I could feel my face flush from being caught. I met her eyes in all seriousness and said, "you do realize I have to kill you now, right?"

Gwen doubled over in laughter at that and I couldn't help myself as I did the same. "Well," Gwen commented once we had calmed down into giggles, "I suppose I see why you signed up for music."

"You now know how much of a dork, especially with music, your roommate is…I wouldn't blame you if you ran away screaming now," I semi-joked and went back over to the mirror to finish brushing my hair out.

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you," she said and stepped into the bathroom, looking around a bit, "and besides, it's way better to wake up to you singing, which you do very well by the way, than my stupid alarm."

"Aw, well shucks…gee thanks, Gwen," I giggled, "I'm glad to know I'm better than a beeping noise from an alarm." Have I mentioned that when I don't get enough sleep, I can get _really_ goofy?

"Don't take that as too much of a compliment," she teased, "almost _everything_ is better than a beeping alarm. Now get out, I have to use the shower!" she exclaimed and shooed me out of the bathroom.

I rolled my eyes good naturedly as the bathroom door was closed in my face. With my hairbrush still in hand, I finished brushing out my hair and then looked at it my reflection in my phone. Eh, I didn't want to wear it down, so I decided to throw it up into a braid. I sat down on my bed to do that and looked at all of the animals in the room.

"Give me five minutes," I said when they all looked at me pitifully, "then I'll give you guys breakfast." And I did just that, I finished my braid, leaving a few strands to go around my face, and fed all of the animals. After that, I actually grabbed my guitar and started fooling around on it waiting for Gwen to be done in the room.

It was pretty quick actually, apparently Gwen is a lot like me in the morning…sleep in as much as possible then run around like a chicken with its head cut off to get everything done. We were out the door by 7:30 thankfully, my bed was getting more and more comfortable and inviting by the second…it was going to be a _long_ day.

"Are you hungry? We have a lot of food downstairs for breakfast," Gwen was telling me as we were walking down the stairs to get to the main level.

"Surprisingly enough, I'm not hungry in the mornings…but I'll have something small of course," I answered and followed her into the kitchen/dining room thing that the dorms had. Almost all of the girls were up, and the glares at me were still coming. I was just lucky no one else was in the kitchen. "Oh look, an apple," I commented when I saw the fruit bowl and grabbed it, "there's my breakfast right there."

"You eat _way_ too healthy for a teenager," she laughed as she was pouring out her cereal and milk. Were those Frosted Cheerios?

"Nah, trust me, the cereal is tempting mentally…I just don't think my stomach would like it too much," I explained and bit into the apple, "still feeling some of those effects from yesterday."

"Are you seriously eating an apple, JC?" Maggie asked from the doorway, startling both of us. She walked over to Gwen and gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting some cereal for herself. There was also a small ball of fluff following the brunette around.

"What is so wrong with an apple!" I exclaimed and threw up my hands. "And who's the cat?" I asked too, looking down at the long haired gray and white kitten.

"I don't know, the fuzzball has been following me all morning," Maggie shrugged and shoveled a spoonful of milk and cereal into her mouth.

"_Would somebody please tell this idiot that I'm Belle and she's my human!"_ I heard and looked down at the cat.

I laughed and leaned down, gathering the kitten in my arms. "Yes, Belle," I answered with a chuckle and held her out to Maggie, "meet your cat…or more meet the cat that chose you to be her human. Her name's Belle."

"Seriously?" she asked and looked back to the kitten, "well that's something I didn't expect. I guess I have some stuff to be doing after school then."

"That would explain why she was following you around all morning," Gwen shrugged.

"_Thank you!"_ Belle exclaimed and jumped out of my arms, landing on the counter and padding over to her newly claimed human.

I smiled at the kitten as I bit into the apple and looked around the area. Girls were sitting around, talking or watching television or something of the sorts. If the place wasn't going so nuts, it would be peaceful and a rather nice place to live, I decided. Granted, if the place wasn't going so nuts was the key term of that statement. It would be nice to sit around for a day if I didn't have to go to class like everyone else was starting to do…ugh, class. "What time is it?" I asked suddenly, looking back to Gwen and Maggie.

"Pretty much time for us to leave," my roommate responded, "do you know where you're going?"

I gave her a sheepish grin and shook my head, "not really at all, and I'm direction deprived…the likelihood that I'll get lost here is great. Sorry." Really, it was an amazement I didn't get lost last night, directions were not my strong suit at all…it took me a near month to figure out where I was going during my freshman year of high school.

Gwen sighed and nodded, "it's alright. I'll get you to your first class and I think you'll be able to find someone to help you after that, either your cousin or one of her friends…and Luke will be there too. But, we should be going now."

"Awesome, thank you so much!" I exclaimed and ate the last of my apple.

Gwen and Maggie gave each other a kiss goodbye and then me and my roommate were off. Apparently the day had warmed up the weather some, or at least that's what it was like to me. It wasn't as cold out as it was last night, but maybe that was my new fledgling powers kicking in more…who knew?

"You ready for your first day?" Gwen broke the silence with her question.

"Well," I sighed and blew out a breath. No…not really. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I think the majority of the surprises were done yesterday. At least Goddess I hope so," I answered.

"I think you'll be okay," she said and chuckled, "you missed the important night, it should be calm for a little bit."

"Oh, good, I'd at least like a day to adjust to this new schedule before I have to deal with all this shit," I joked somewhat. Truth was I really didn't want to have to deal with anything at all ever (as any sane person wouldn't), but I'd at least like a day to figure stuff out too and get settled in.

"So I take it you are settling in nicely?" What the hell! None other than Dee Summers, Princess Bitch (Neferet was queen after all), walked up in front of us with a malicious smile, blocking our path. Did she just materialize out of the fucking dark (have I mentioned that I also swear a lot more when I'm tired)! I remembered the conversation from last night and what Zane said…Neferet's biggest supporter. I repressed a shudder at the fact that she very well _could_ have materialized out of the fucking dark.

"JC is getting along just fine," Gwen responded calmly, quietly, "thanks for the concern." The resentment in her voice was very thinly veiled.

"I don't think I was asking you, fag," Dee retorted and stuck her nose up at Gwen.

Oh, like hell you are going to talk to my roommate like that! "Back off, bitch," I snarled and stepped in between then, "I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking. Now, you're in our way to get to class…so if you don't mind," I said and made a hand motion to get her to leave. Did I expect her to? No…but I would try. And, oddly enough, all of those good, slap-happy feelings I had earlier were suddenly gone. Now all I felt was grouchy, tired, and the immense desire to let my fist connect with her face.

Dee let out a laugh and pushed me slightly. I let out a low growl, but she didn't seem to take notice, "getting a little bit testy now, aren't we?" she asked, "I suppose you've forgotten who top cat is around here."

"Just move out of my damn way, Dee," I warned as my hands clenched into fists.

She let out a sigh, "fine, you are absolutely no fun. Enjoy class, I'm sure I'll see you later." And she walked off, leaving me to wonder if her last comment was a promise, threat, or warning…or all three.

Gwen and I continued on to class in silence, I was still fuming and repressing the urge to shout, or snarl, or whatever. "JC?" Gwen asked finally.

"What!" I snapped and glared at her a moment. I met her amber eyes and was surprised to see the emotions in them. Well, the concern and kindness not really, but the thinly covered fear in them was a surprise. "Oh…Gwen," I said almost instantly and looked down in shame, "I'm sorry…I was just lost in thoughts."

"It's okay," she said and smiled a bit…the fear was still there a bit though. "We're at your first class," she added and pointed to the door. Wait…when the hell did we get inside?

"Oh," I said intelligently and smiled a bit too, "thanks, I didn't even realize we were here."

"It's fine," Gwen shrugged, "have a good class." I nodded and turned to go inside, only to be stopped again by her voice, "JC, are you alright?"

I turned back to look at her and that's when I caught it out of the corner of my eye. It was lurking in the shadows, swirling around menacingly and I could feel both that fear and sick desire I had when Neferet was in our room. I just really hoped it was a feeling I got whenever I was near Neferet, this was her class after all. "I'm fine," I said and forced a smile, "just tired and that wasn't the best way to start my morning."

"Ok," she nodded, "if you say so. I'll see you at lunch then," she added and turned off.

"Yup, see you then," I agreed and went into class. Some students were there, but not my cousin or anyone else, and most of them downright ignored me…but that was better than the unguarded glare of hate that I got from the rest. My vote goes to saying they were part of Dee's group.

Feeling uncomfortable and extremely self-conscious, I chose a desk in the back and sat down, setting my bag beside me. I ducked my head low to keep my gaze from anyone and stayed like that until I heard some familiar voices.

"JC?" I looked up to see Zoey, Stark, and Damien and sighed in relief.

"About damn time," I muttered but all other conversation was cut off when Neferet swept into the room. Alright, I'll admit it, she's an evil bitch…but she knows how to make an entrance in an extremely beautiful way. The man that walked in after her, however, was just a tad bit unexpected. Wheat colored hair, dark eyes, toned body…he was pretty cute (and I have a thing for blondes)…but the Darkness surrounding him was a complete and total turn off. Seriously, how much Darkness was here?

I turned to look at Zoey, Stark, and Damien in question, but my cousin wasn't there…she went to get my supplies apparently. Stark and Damien both saw my attention though and shrugged, looking just as confused as I was.

"Class," Neferet announced as Zoey came back and handed me a leather book and then took a seat next to Stark…Damien was next to me. "This is Aurox," she announced and motioned to the man who entered with her, "he has heard what happened and after I banished my Erebus Incarnate, he offered his service to his priestess. Please accept him and welcome him in this class," she explained.

Most of the girls in class ogled this man…Aurox, and I had to resist the urge to barf. Gwen was right, the spell she had these people under was sickening…literally. After the announcement, Neferet launched into a lecture about the Amazons…apparently I missed some stuff since it seemed like it was mid-lesson. She entirely forgot about me, the new student, which was just as well since I didn't want one of those awkward introductions.

I was surprised when the bell rang to signal second hour, and I was both relieved and upset to move. Relieved because Neferet still gave me the creeps, upset because it really _was_ an interesting lecture…but the surprise of the class came next.

"Zoey, Jennifer," the High Priestess called out. I was surprised to be called out to, but shrugged and got up, following my cousin, "just Zoey and Jennifer please," Neferet added, looking behind me at Stark.

He just grunted and looked to Z, who nodded. "I'll be right outside," Stark mumbled to her and followed Damien out.

"I just wanted to inform you both," Neferet started when we stood in front of the desk, "that there is a Council meeting tonight right after school, and I am hoping to get in touch with the High Council as well," she explained and looked at me, "I believe they will know about your situation more than we do here, Jennifer."

I nodded, though I knew that Lenobia already knew about me, "I hope so too. Learning about my Mark is something that I should probably be doing right away."

"Yes well," she smiled at me and moved her hand closer to mine. That's when I felt it, that odd chill and mix of feelings. I looked down to see a tendril of Darkness coming off her hand and coming towards me. I'm sure every ounce of color drained from my face and I stared, watching it for a moment. Finally, I snapped out of it and instinctively moved my hand away, looking back to Neferet. And she _knew_.

"Zoey, I'm done talking to you, though Jennifer, I would like to hold you back for a moment longer," she said and her smile grew just a bit.

Before Zoey could respond, I nodded, "that's fine, Neferet," and threw a quick look at my cousin.

"Alright, I'll meet up with you at lunch then?" Z asked casually.

I grinned at her, "definitely. See ya then, Zoey." It was almost amusing how easily we could keep a conversation like that.

My cousin left and when the door clicked shut, the High Priestess looked up to me, her smile growing more evil by the second. "You can see it, can't you Jennifer?" she asked me.

Should I lie? Looking into those hate filled eyes, I felt like she would know if I lied. "I can," I answered carefully.

"It calls to you, I can tell, I could tell the day you came here, you are different," Neferet continued, slowly getting up from her seat, "it calls for you and you long for it. Darkness is a powerful ally Jennifer…"

"Look," I cut her off, "let's get one thing straight. Sure, I can see it, but that doesn't mean that I want it. The very name is enough for me to know what it is."

"Oh, but I know that you do," her smile turned sly, "I can see it in you, and Darkness knows too."

My voice turned cold and hard as I watched her, "get to your point."

"I'm offering a deal to you, Jennifer," Neferet answered, "you are very clearly a powerful fledgling, Nyx has granted you as such. But I can give you so much more than that Goddess. I can give you full power, Jennifer."

One day, I'd been there one day and she was already trying to get me! "And why would I want to do that?"

"You appear to be a very strong-willed and ambitious girl," she explained, "I can give you the power and prestige you are looking for."

Ok, I suppose you could call me ambitious…but she was _WAY_ off the mark about me looking for power and prestige. "But…joining you would be joining Darkness," I pointed out bluntly, "and Darkness just isn't right."

"Says some," she shrugged like it was nothing, "though others would disagree. I'm offering you this power to revel in, Jennifer, something I have not done for many others, and I would like an answer."

I didn't even bat an eye when I looked at her, though I wanted to just curl up into a ball and die, "as much as I thank you for your offer, I think I'll have to decline."

For a split second, I saw the surprise in Neferet's eyes, then they returned to the cold, hard orbs they normally were. "If you don't stand with me, you stand against me. Is that really what you want?"

I glared at her and nodded. "I will say this and only once, Neferet. I know what has been going on here, and I don't like it. I am with the Goddess, I am with Light. I don't know what's going on between me and Darkness, but I know where my heart and soul belong and that is absolutely with Light. If that means I reject joining Darkness…then so be it. And if that means standing against you, then I will stand against you until my dying breath. Now, I'll see you tonight at the meeting." I turned on my heel and left the room without another word. First day, first hour, and I've already declared myself an enemy of the insane woman known as Neferet…seriously, when did I grow a set enough to do that, I was never that bold?

As I left, I swear I heard in the air "we'll see about that."

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><p><strong>Yeah, JC's badass XD. Anyway, just because I can, that little link down there is lonely, you should click it! And, definitely take a stab at what those different words mean, you should do that too.<strong>


	15. Panic Attacks and Hallucinations

**A/N: Hey all, remember me! Yeah sorry, I kinda died there when things got chaotic. Between sickness, the end of the grading period, Halloween, the play I worked, and the football season still going on, I wasn't home really at all, let alone near my computer. But, I'm back and alive with a three day weekend, which bids well for this.**

**So, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own a cookie, a birdie, and a guinea pig. Notice that none of this is the _House of Night._ Though, I suppose I do own JC, Quinn, Maggie, Gwen, and Luke as well as the plot and Professor Vento's appearance. If he/she is described in _Destined, _then sorry, I haven't had time to read that yet either...just deal with this descrip**

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

I was already late to my second class, but I figured if I said I was with Neferet that would be alright. Half the professors here were under her spell like the students, so I've heard anyway. Walking through the halls I seriously felt like I was about to puke. Those nerves of steel I had earlier talking to Neferet? Yeah, those broke like a stick the moment I stepped out of the room. I was thankful for them when I had them…but now I realized what it was I just got myself into.

I had just declared myself against Neferet. I HAD JUST CHALLENGED NEFERET! I wanted to cry, puke, and just curl up into a corner and disappear. What the _hell_ was I thinking? Apparently, I wasn't. I couldn't have been thinking. If I was thinking properly I wouldn't have done that! I was a new, oddly Marked fledgling who didn't have any idea what I could and couldn't do in the long run. And aside from that, I _knew_ that Neferet was right. I didn't want to admit it, and I didn't admit it at the time, but somewhere deep inside I knew she was right about me and Darkness. It was kind of hard to deny whatever freaky, unexplainable connection with Darkness I had because it was there. Oh Goddess…it was getting hard to breath…I was _so_ not ready for this! The lack of sleep surely didn't help my stress any.

So, essentially, there I was in the hallway totally lost since I didn't know where the music room was and no one was there to lead me, and having a minor panic attack. Ugh, I was such a mess.

"_JC?"_ I nearly jumped out of my skin when my dog rounded the corner and found me. The last person I expected was Quinn…but Goddess was I ever thankful. "_JC, JC just calm down. What's going on? Are you alright?"_

Ok, so here's the thing. Quinn knew about me and panic attacks. I used to get them when I was little after my mom and Danny died, it was…a rather nasty side effect. Quinn wasn't around at the time, but I had told her about them and she knew what to do if she ever saw me in one. Thank Goddess she still remembered to just talk me down and to make sure that I _breathed._

"I…I, no Quinn, no I'm not," I whimpered and sunk back against the wall, willing the tears in my eyes to go back. Too much, this was just too _freaking_ much. "I'm lost," I answered.

"_The music room is this way…no reason to freak over it,"_ she responded and cocked her head in confusion. She didn't understand.

"Well yeah…but no," I answered and shook my head. "That isn't what I meant. I…Neferet…we…" I trailed off and inwardly groaned, "Neferet gave me an offer. It's my first day of school at the House of Night and already Neferet wanted me to join her in Darkness. She _knows_." I didn't mean to say the last part since my dog didn't know, but it just came out.

_"What did you tell her? And she knows what?_" Quinn asked, worried.

"Nothing important. And I told her no, I essentially told her to buzz off and that I'd stand against her no matter what," I answered and groaned, "Quinn…it's been one day! It's too far…too much, I can't handle it! And if I can't handle it, one tiny confrontation with Neferet, how the hell am I supposed to help Zoey! I mean…I can't expect her to pick me up every time I fall…I have-"

"_JC, JC! JENNY!"_ Quinn finally yelled and placed her head in my lap. "_You need to calm down_," she told me, "_you freaked out, yeah sure. I'm sure Zoey freaked out when it first happened to her too. And besides that, when was the last time you had a cry?"_

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"_You damn well know what it has to do with everything. Eventually an extreme introvert like yourself is going to crack."_

I sighed and turned my head to avoid her gaze. "A long time," I mumbled, "at least five months…maybe longer." Honestly, I really didn't remember.

"_Yeah, and in that time span the tenth anniversary of your mother and brother's deaths came about, Lewis cheated on and broke up with you, Old Gray at the stables died, your father was hardly home from business trips, you got violently ill, you were Marked as a Spirit vampyre by none other than your first ex, had everything dumped upon you to find out Heath and your aunt passed on, had three meetings with Neferet, found some weird powers, and had Dee too and on top of that you're a 16 year old, hormonal teenage girl. And I'm sure I'm missing some things. Don't you think that's maybe a little too much to be keeping in you?"_ she explained and asked rhetorically.

"I used to be able to do all that and more…" I muttered. Really, I didn't know that, but I wanted to say it anyway. Me and emotions, we don't get along.

"_No, no you didn't," _Quinn responded, "_you weren't that stressed…you haven't been Marked before. And really, that's just plain unhealthy for you to keep inside. Honestly, I'm thankful this happened…no I don't want to see you in pain, but you desperately needed a release in some form."_

"This release…I was hoping it would come with sleep," I admitted. I felt better though, I would say, freaking out _was _a help and figuring no other way to do so, I moved forward and wrapped my arms around my dog.

"_You uh…do realize that I can't hug you back right?"_ she asked and despite everything that just happened, I burst out into laughter. "_Geeze, mood swings much?"_

I chuckled and let Quinn go before getting up off the ground. "A little bit I suppose…as you pointed out I _am_ a hormonal, teenage girl. But really, thank you so much Quinn, I don't know how I'd be keeping myself sane right now without you," I said and blew out a breath. I probably would've passed out in the hallway if Quinn didn't come by.

"_Not a problem…as the saying goes, we are man's best friend and all. Oh, and I'm taking you to your second class now,"_ she added and started leading me off.

"You hate that saying," I pointed out. And she really did, Quinn threatened to bite me anytime I mentioned it, "and for that matter, how do you know where we're going?"

"_Yeah…but in this instance it helps prove my point,"_ Quinn laughed, "_and I know because I wandered around a bit with Duchess after you left. I found your whole schedule just in case."_

"Wow, you really are man's best friend," I agreed, "but thanks."

"_Not a problem, and if you every say that again, I will bite you,"_ she threatened as per usual, "_what are you telling Vento?"_

"That I was with Neferet," I shrugged, "it's the truth after all. I think I'll be alright."

"_Sounds fair,"_ Quinn agreed and led me to the music room.

When I went in, I found that most of the students were chatting around instruments or pieces of music or something of the work. It was kinda noisy, with some instruments playing and all, so I slipped into the classroom unnoticed by them luckily. Unfortunately, I was spotted by the professor and he stood up to walk over to me.

Okay, I have to admit this guy was pretty hot. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties and was quite tall with blonde hair (of course) and blue eyes covered by a set of glasses. His Mark was a mixture of musical notes and swirls extending from the moon. "You must be JC, I'm Professor Vento," he said and then added, "you're late."

Some of the students, apparently seeing/hearing Vento talking to me, turned to watch him and me. I resisted the urge to fidget and just walk out of the room. "Yeah, sorry, Neferet held me back after first hour," I answered.

"Ah, well," Vento commented and nodded, "I suppose I need to tell Neferet to stop holding my students back from second hour, especially when they are new. Anyway, welcome to Music 101, there are a couple of preliminary questions I have to ask you before you beginning. Do you play any orchestral instruments?" he asked.

"Yeah, the clarinet, the flute, and the tenor and alto saxophone," I answered. Wow, this guy got straight down to business.

"Any other instruments?" Vento asked, eyebrows raised.

"The guitar and the piano/keyboards," I added. I heard a few snickers from the others after the words 'nerd' and 'geek' were tossed around. I let out a slight sigh…though yes, I suppose I was both of those things.

"And your vocal ability?" he continued.

"I can and do sing," I responded a bit reluctantly. I hated when people asked me what I could do…it made me feel weird and uncomfortable.

"Very well," Vento nodded, "you may take a seat now."

Thank you! I moved from the front of the classroom and looked around. When I saw a red Mark and short, curly blonde hair, I breathed a sigh of relief and made a beeline for Stevie Rae. "You don't know how happy I am to see you," I said when I sat down beside her.

"Well heya, JC," she commented and smiled a bit sympathetically, "school not going too good for ya?"

"First hour was already a nightmare, so no," I grumbled and ran a hand through my hair.

"Yeah…you said Neferet was talking to ya? Why was that?" she asked and sounded a bit worried.

"Ugh," I groaned and shook my head, "bad things…what more would you expect? She uh…may have already called me out, and I may have…already said no," I explained.

"Wow."

"No kidding," I agreed and shook my head again, "I haven't even known her for that long and I already feel like she's losing…if not lost it. Oh, and there's a Council meeting tonight that you're supposed to be at, well you, me, and Zoey are supposed to be at, right after school," I added.

"Well thanks, and yeah, I understand what you mean," Stevie Rae said, "what exactly did she do to ya?"

"She just…called me out," I answered the best I could, the Darkness thing was still a no-no to talk about, "it isn't something I really want to talk about…I'm still a little freaked."

"Alrighty," she shrugged, "we can talk about something else. You have an interest in music?"

Ok, this topic I liked. I started to explain to Stevie Rae how my mother used to be a librarian, but taught little kids how to play music or sing as a side job. She had a really nice voice too, and either those genes somewhat went down to me, or she just taught me really well too. Either way, the point was that I got my love of music from my mother.

After that we just kind of…talked. She explained this project we had, we apparently had to choose a song that meant a lot to us and perform it with our own twist, as well as turn in a one page paper to explain why it meant a lot to us. The paper kinda downed the project a bit, but it was still way better than any project I'd ever done in any past music class. And then we just talked some more, I learned about some of the times Stevie Rae had at Henrietta High and all of that stuff, and that was my music class…I couldn't complain.

Lit 101 wasn't much different. Seriously, the most exciting part of that class was Luke coming in. I was sitting in the back (as seemed to be typical with my classes now) and everyone else was coming in. The blonde came in and noticed me, I waved to him and he came back…right before Zoey, Stark, Damien, and Stevie Rae walked in and saw me as well.

"Are you uh…sure that it's alright?" Luke asked warily, looking between me, the chair, and the others.

"Luke, you're among friends, it's fine," I smiled at him and patted the desk next to me. He finally relented and sat down next to me before Stevie Rae, Zoey, and Damien filled the other chairs. Stark was left to stand awkwardly in the back since it was a full class.

Damien and Luke struck up a conversation since they did know each other (seriously…who _doesn't_ Damien know?) and I was left to my cousin and the country girl.

"So why are ya sitting in the back of all of your classes?" Stevie Rae asked in the few minutes we had before class.

I shrugged, "it's more comfortable back here. Most of the students hate me…I don't know a purple Mark and the name 'Redbird'…they probably think I'm some vampyre abomination," I answered.

"JC…they don't think you're an abom…" I cut my cousin off with a raised eyebrow to say 'seriously?' She just sighed and turned around in her seat when Professor Penthesilea came into class. She was the first professor to actually give me an introduction, which was awkward and uncomfortable with the rest of the class…and then we got a lesson on grammar. No joke, we really spent the entire hour talking about grammar, it was worse than my old English class!

After the bell relieved us from that nightmare, I walked (more followed) Damien, Zoey, Stark, and Luke to the gym for fencing. Dragon didn't even so much as look at Damien, Stark, and Zoey, and only gave me a forced, polite greeting before pairing me with Luke to show me what exactly I was doing with these foils. Luke showed me some stretches that we both did before we started, and then I essentially got my ass handed to me repeatedly by him, even in the drills! I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing. I was supposed to block him and his foil and then try to hit him all while not losing my balance? It was way too much to focus on at one time, hence why I probably landed on my ass quite a lot.

When the bell rang to let us know fourth hour ended, I was lying on my back on the floor with Luke looking over me sheepishly. "Er…sorry JC, I didn't mean to go that bad on you. Do you need a hand?" he offered.

I chuckled and shook my head, "it's fine Luke, I just suck at this so it was expected. Nah I'm fine, I think I'm just going to stay here for a moment or two, regain my breathing and all that," I answered. I was breathing really hard, as was he…fencing apparently does that to you.

"Alright, I'll see you to go to lunch?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," I nodded and watched as he went off before putting my head back and closing my eyes. The physical release was what I needed…I felt better now than I had most of the day.

After a few moments of lying on the floor, I finally decided to get up. Dragon had gone to his office so I was the only one in the gym…or so I thought. I was walking back to the locker rooms to get out of the gym shorts and shirts when something, or someone rather, caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned fully to look at the person, and that's when I realized the bizarreness of this situation.

She was a woman who looked rather young. She was in formal, professor attire and had long, blonde/wheat colored hair and blue eyes. Her Mark was a bunch of swirl patterns…at least that's what it looked like…and she was looking at the way Dragon had left to go to his office, her demeanor sad, disappointed, and a little bit angry. It wouldn't have been _quite _so weird if she didn't seem to be transparent.

Finally shaking myself out of it, I cleared my throat and looked at her for a lack of anything else to do. "Uh…hello?" I asked and, startled, she turned to me in confusion. She was looking me over like something was wrong, "can I help you?" I asked again. Her blue eyes shot back up to mine and in a flash, she was gone.

Ok, what the hell! Did I hit my head on that floor one too many times? I was hallucinating, that's it…I am sleep deprived, put myself through a lot today already, and I was hallucinating. That was what I kept telling myself as I went into the locker room, it was just my mind playing tricks on me…nothing more nothing less.

"Hey JC, what took you so long? You look like you've seen a ghost," Zoey commented and I snapped out of my thoughts to see I was in the locker room.

"Just tired," I said, it seemed to be my answer for everything today, "and in case you didn't notice…Luke kinda kicked my ass today, on more than one occasion. I was just catching my breath, took me a little longer to get in here," I explained and started stripping and redressing. I didn't comment on the ghost part…I still wasn't quite sure how to explain what happened in there, and I was still convinced it was just a hallucination.

"Oh, alright, do you want me to wait for you?" Zoey offered. I looked up to notice she was already done dressing and all of that crap I still had to do.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm waiting for Luke…or he's more waiting for me," I answered and waved her off, "though is it alright if he joins us for lunch?" I asked and then as an afterthought, "and for that matter, that entire group? Him, Zane, Harley, Gwen, and Maggie?" Ok, I didn't know if the rest would want to sit with my cousin and her circle, but I was going to ask anyway.

My cousin looked at me in surprise. "Well, it wouldn't be a problem other than for space," she answered.

"Ok, great. You know I can fit them in somehow," I grinned, "and they're really nice people, they're who I sat with last night. And I think all of them fought in the Raven Mocker attack."

Zoey just nodded and shrugged, "fine with me then. I'll see you down at the dining hall," she said and went out of the locker room.

I flew through everything I needed to get done and rushed out of the locker room as fast as I possibly could after that. I noticed Luke sitting on the bench outside of the locker rooms and he looked up to me when I came out, "about time, JC, I never pegged you to be one of 'those girls'," he teased and got up.

"Yeah, well, that'll change rather soon," I promised and followed after him to the dining hall. Once there, we met up with my roommate and Maggie while getting food (just a simple sandwich for me…compared to last night I wasn't hungry at all) and I made my way over toward my cousin and everyone else.

About halfway there however, I noticed the others behind me stopped. "Uh, are you guys coming?" I asked, looking back at them.

"Should we?" Gwen asked in response, looking back to me.

"Yeah, why not?" I shrugged, "Zoey's cool with you guys sitting with us, it's fine," I promised, "now c'mon."

We got to the table while an odd conversation was occurring. "I swear to Goddess she ruined like, five different spells we were supposed to be doing today!" Erin exclaimed and threw up her hands.

"That new professor doesn't know what the hell she's doing, that's for damn sure," Shaunee agreed, "she nearly blew up her own desk!"

I sat down on the edge of the booth by Stevie Rae and looked to them all in question. Gwen, on the other hand, seemed to pick it up right off the bat. "Those actually weren't her fault," she said and got everyone to look up at her. "She was doing absolutely _everything_ right today, I was watching her. Proper herbs, proper words and movements, there wasn't a thing she did wrong and things were _still_ going wrong, it was really weird," she explained.

"So…everything she-"

"Was doing was right?" The Twins asked in surprise.

"She was doing everything Anastasia did and would have done, but things were still going wrong. It's really bizarre," Gwen nodded and pulled up a chair, sitting down between the two booths.

"And you are absolutely positive that they were correct?" Damien asked, just to clarify.

"They were simple spells, Anastasia taught them to me at the end of last year. Yes, I am positive," she explained resolutely.

"Then there's some sort of freaky shit going on in Spells and Rituals," Shaunee said. Ah, issues in Spells and Rituals...that's probably not a good place to be having issues. Goddess only knows what could be blown up there.

"Agreed, Twin," Erin nodded.

"Just another mystery to figure out," Zoey sighed and picked at the salad she had gotten. Lunch seemed to have a less variety of food than dinner, "could it have just been a student messing around in class?" she asked and looked to Gwen.

My roommate shrugged, "it's a possibility," she nodded, "and it wouldn't be surprising either."

That comment ended the conversation and after, we fell into the usual teenage stuff for once, which I was happy for. Zane and Harley joined us soon after…and though Aphrodite complained about not being able to fit any more people into the table, we all finished our lunch in relative peace and went on to our next hour.

Spanish was similar to Lit 101, only worse because I never took Spanish in my life, I took French in high school and even that was two years ago. So I was kind of at a loss for what to do on the work sheets, but I struggled through it with a good amount of reasoning, guessing, and help from Zoey. I really hated foreign languages, and I was happy when the bell rang for sixth hour. Equestrian Studies was a whole other matter entirely.

We got to class and got to work cleaning out stalls immediately. Well, most of the class did, Lenobia kinda pulled me aside to talk for a little bit.

"How are you doing?" she asked as I stood in the empty stall.

"It was…an interesting day," I answered, "but I'm alright. Nothing bad happened other than most of the students hating me and the professors not caring." Nothing to worry about of course, I rolled my eyes at the thought.

"You'll find that a lot I'm sorry to say," Lenobia told me sympathetically, "has anything happened with you or your powers today?" she asked.

I was tempted to tell her about Neferet and the whole issue while I was at Fencing, but for some reason I decided against it. "No, it was a pretty normal day that way," I responded.

"Good, and you know about the meeting tonight?"

"Yes, I will be there," I nodded.

"Good, I'm glad you are adjusting rather well, JC," Lenobia commented.

"I am too," I agreed somewhat. If anything, I could at least adapt somewhat, which was better than nothing.

"I will leave you to your cleaning then," she said and walked off.

Okay, so cleaning stalls is rather easy and relaxing to me. I volunteered at stables since I was 13, so I knew what I was doing with the stall. I was almost done cleaning whoever's stall it was when I heard some shouting, both mental and verbal.

"Why the hell won't this horse get out of its stall!" a boy shouted and I went to the door of the stall. Looking out, I saw some brown haired boy enter another stall and continued shouting, "get out!"

"_Get away from me, please!"_ someone responded desperately and angrily. I knew that voice.

I ran to the other stall to find the boy advancing on the painted mare pressed against the back wall. She was pawing at the ground, looking nervous, frightened, and a tad angry. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" I demanded, causing both of them to look to me.

"This is my stall to clean and the stupid beast is still in here!" the boy exclaimed.

"Yeah well, this is the _horse's_ stall, not yours. Get away from her!" I ordered.

"I know what I'm doing," he growled and continued towards Athena. She pawed at the ground again and whinnied.

Ok, no, you don't do that to a horse…_ever,_ that's probably the best way to set me off. Stupidity or cruelty around animals. I stormed into the stall and yanked the guy back by his collar. "No, obviously you don't know the first thing about horse care _or_ horses because you wouldn't be advancing on a clearly frightened horse!" I shouted back, positioning myself between him and Athena.

"Bitch. You think you can just come in here and order everyone around because you have some new, weird Mark?" he asked and clenched his fists, "because let me tell you, it sure as hell doesn't work like that."

Before I got a word, or hit in, Lenobia interrupted. "What is going on here?" she demanded, standing in the door of the stall.

"The horse won't get out of the stall and this girl's trying to tell me what to do," he explained and turned to Lenobia.

"He's frightened Athena and is advancing on her, I was just protecting the horse," I defended, looking to Lenobia as well.

Her slate gray eyes looked between us for a minute before she determined, "Hank, come with me. JC, please take Athena out to the field house," she ordered.

The boy, Hank, grumbled under his breath and glanced at me again, "bitch." Great, just another enemy.

Once he and Lenobia were gone, I turned back to Athena. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"_I don't like him,"_ Athena gave as a response.

"I figured you didn't, come on, let's get you to the field house," I said and walked forward. Surprisingly, she followed me without trouble and I walked through the stable with her. Some students gave me strange looks, but at this point in time I couldn't muster up enough energy to care. I allowed Athena into the field house and watched her for a bit, "I guess Lenobia will come to get you a bit later," I said.

"_Yes, she will. You can go if you want,"_ Athena agreed.

"Well, alright, see you then," I said a bit awkwardly and moved to leave.

"_And JC, uh…thanks,"_ she added and I turned around to smile at her.

"I made a promise to you, I'm going to keep it," I responded simply and walked out of the field house. By the time I got back to the stall I was originally cleaning, the bell rang to signify the end of the day...er night.

Zoey and Stark came over to the stall I was in and watched as I still worked. I wanted to finish cleaning it because I finish what I start. "Are you coming with us to the meeting?" my cousin asked.

I looked up and shook my head, "go, I'll catch up in a few. I just want to get this cleaned," I explained. They nodded and left, leaving me to finish cleaning the stall.

Shedding the muck boots and putting all the tools and stuff back, I walked back out into the open air and looked around. Maybe I should have gone with Zoey and Stark…I didn't know where the hell I was going. Well, hopefully my roommate was back at our room and could explain where I was going for the meeting, so I set course for the dorms.

Then, I got yet another surprise for the day. I felt the chill in the air a split second before I felt claws catch the back of my left side and throw me to the ground.

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><p><strong>Seriously people, please review! I know you're reading. I'm <em>really <em>curious to know your thoughts on this chapter and what exactly is going on. If you review...I'll give you that cookie I own!**


	16. The High Council

**A/N: Yup, things are still a tad bit nuts around here. So for a while it may just be one update per week. Thanksgiving Break is coming up, probably why things are nuts, but I'm still hoping things clear up pretty soon.**

**And to give a really belated answer to Otterly (for which I do apologize for not answering), in 'Haunted House' JC was 21. She's just that big of a scaredy cat when it comes to all things Halloween :D.**

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><p><strong><span>Stevie Rae's POV<span>**

I met up with Zoey and Stark after sixth hour to get to this Council meeting that Neferet called for. I really couldn't figure out why she would call it besides for JC and why we all had to be there for that…but then again I hadn't been thinking too straight most of the day. I had been daydreamin' 'bout Rephaim most of the day. I wondered how he was doing down in the tunnels all alone and what it was he was doing exactly, I was curious. And, as my mama would say, I was one lovesick puppy too.

But anyway, I met up with Zoey and Stark and we were walking to the Council room…Zoey and me were talking about what else could be going on. "I know it's going to be about JC," Z was saying, "but I think there's more to it than that…I mean we _did_ kinda leave the school."

"It's probably going to be about a lot of things," Stark agreed with her, "but you're worrying over nothing, especially if Neferet said she was going to try and contact the High Council. She can't do anything to us if the High Council is there, even if it's on Skype."

"It's not us I'm worried about…it's JC," she answered and looked between me and Stark, "we're not entirely sure what she is yet. Sure, she's talked to Nyx some, but in the long run with Neferet, she's going to need more than that. And her and Neferet, there's something weird going on between them…"

"Z that's crazy…"

"No, Stark, actually it's not," I spoke up and both looked at me, "JC was late to second hour today and she was sweating worse than she would've if she were in a snowsuit in summer. She said Neferet had verbally called her out already and she said no. She was more than a little freaked about it," I explained.

"You know…it's days like these that I wish Neferet would just leave my family the hell alone," Zoey commented, "I mean…I know JC can handle herself when she gets used to it—but…"

Whatever my BFF was going to say got cutoff by a scream and a loud screech. I knew what that screech was…I knew that sound well and I shivered. All three of us took off like the wind to locate the scream…and when we found it, there was an interesting scene playing out.

A Raven Mocker had entered school grounds and attacked a student. The student it attacked was JC, who had skidded a few feet away from it and was leaning back on her arms, dazed for a moment. I watched in amazement when she realized what just happened and in 2.5 seconds shifted her form from girl to wolf. And the third person on the scene was a boy who must have also heard the ruckus and came to JC's aide. When I got a glimpse of his face, I realized it was Cole who was punching and distracting the Raven Mocker.

"Cole, JC, get down!" Stark shouted to them and held up a bow and arrow that I didn't realize he had on him. Cole had did as he was told and stopped the attack, ducking a blow the Raven Mocker was trying take on him and JC, who had attacked as well, was pushed off and skidded to the side. It only took a second for Stark to notch and let go of two arrows that sunk precisely into the Raven Mocker's heart. With a scream, it fell to the ground and writhed in pain a few moments before dying.

We all rushed to Cole and JC to see what just happened as JC shifted back into a human. I stopped a moment and watched, it was still amazing to see the transition so easily. Rephaim hadn't let me seen his change from boy to raven, but if it was as easy as she did it, then I felt a little bit better.

And apparently, the new girl didn't know what exactly just happened. "What in the _hell_ was that!" JC demanded and looked between us.

"That, my cousin, was a Raven Mocker," Zoey answered, "and a _really_ bad sign for us."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Stark asked quietly.

"If a Raven Mocker is here…Kalona can't be too far," she said just as quietly.

"Kalona as in the creepy winged dude?" Cole asked, startling everyone from their thoughts.

"Yeah," Zoey nodded, "that's Kalona. Why are you here?"

"I heard a scream and saw the shadow," Cole shrugged, "we've already seen what Raven Mockers can do…we don't need someone else dead because of them."

"Well thank you," JC breathed, suddenly regaining her composure and looking to Cole, "I don't even want to think about what would've happened if you didn't get here."

"What exactly did just happen?" Stark asked.

JC sighed, "I was going back to the dorm rooms quickly to see if Gwen was there and could tell me where to go for this Council meeting…I wasn't thinking that I didn't know where to go when I told you two to leave. I was going back to the dorms and the damn thing caught me by surprise, throwing me down to the ground from behind. I screamed at the thing and that's when Cole came…that's all that happened," she explained and looked at the dead Raven Mocker, shaking her head, "that just isn't normal," she whispered, "not normal at all."

I had to keep myself from throwing up my lunch. _Rephaim…this could have been Rephaim_. But it wasn't him, he was back at the tunnels, safe. And he would never do this to a student…at least, after I had found him. No, Rephaim had been forgiven…this was not him, this was one of his brothers…one of Kalona's sons.

"Are you coming?" Zoey's question snapped me out of my thoughts. Apparently during my thoughts Cole had left us and Z, Stark, and JC were all looking at me worriedly, "it isn't safe to be out here right now," she added.

"Yeah, yup I'm comin'," I nodded and followed after them to the meeting. "We need to tell someone about this," I added as we were walking.

"Do you think Neferet already knows?" Z asked and looked between us. JC seemed to stay off to the side and just absorb everything up.

"Anything's possible," Stark answered, "but either way the others need to know about this."

"I agree," I nodded, "we gotta tell 'em just so the rest of the school gets the word. If another attack happens, we all need to be prepared."

With that settled, we walked into the Council Room to find everyone else already there. Neferet seemed annoyed that we were late, which wasn't a surprising thing, and Dragon didn't even look at us. Lenobia, Erik, and, I noted with happiness, Kramisha all gave us a slight smile.

"It is about time you have arrived to this meeting. What took you so long?" Neferet asked, looking between us four as we sat down. Then, I saw her eyes widen in a bit of surprise as she looked at JC. "Jennifer, you're bleeding," she pointed out.

Without missing a beat, the Spirit vamp met Neferet's eyes and in a cold, controlled voice agreed, "I realize that." I could almost feel the caution and anger that was radiating off that girl.

I noticed then that her upper, left arm was oozing out blood from cuts that were exposed in rips in her shirt. How had I…or for that matter _we_…missed that on our walk here?

"You should probably get that checked out," Erik told her, looking at her injury carefully.

"I'm fine," JC shook it off, "let's just get this started so I can see Helena after, okay?" she asked.

"How did it happen?" Lenobia asked, "did you fall?"

"Actually," Zoey cut in before her cousin got the chance, "she didn't fall. She was attacked by a Raven Mocker," she answered.

Neferet's eyes went even wider in shock and she turned to JC, "a Raven Mocker attacked you? Are you absolutely positive it was a Raven Mocker? You do know what they look like?"

"Well, the thing was half-human half-raven and it caught me on my back, left side. I'm pretty sure it was a Raven Mocker that attacked me," JC answered simply, her voice not as cold as it originally was, but still pretty dang chilly.

"The students and professors have to be notified of this at once," Dragon announced briskly, "a Raven Mocker on campus is a threat," he glanced briefly at me, "is it dead?" he asked anyone.

I puffed up like a fish at the thought Dragon had. "It wasn't Rephaim, he's in the tunnels and he was forgiven by the Goddess," I snapped, "and yes, Stark killed it with some of them arrows he has."

"It may not have been the beast that killed my mate, but they may be looking for him, meaning he caused them to be here," the Sword Master explained.

"No," JC cut in before I got the chance, "it wouldn't be because of Rephaim. Animals know where their group is, they would find Rephaim in the tunnels, they wouldn't come here," she said and I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. Not only was this Raven Mocker here not for Rephaim, but he _could_ be found by his brothers if they were looking for him. "Now please, can we get this thing started? I intend to stay here until the meeting's over…and I don't want to bleed out on the table," she asked.

"Right, yes, let's get the meeting going," Neferet agreed and turned the Skype on her laptop on. Duantia, the High Council's leader, appeared on the screen and smiled just a bit at us.

"Merry meet, Neferet and Zoey," she nodded to those two, "I understand you wanted to call this meeting for a variety of reasons. So, Zoey, I shall start with you. Is what Neferet told me true? Have you broken away from the Tulsa House of Night?"

"Broken away seems like such a harsh term," Zoey answered and grinned broadly. She could play the innocent, clueless girl a little _too_ well at times. "We didn't break away from the Tulsa House of Night, it's just that the red fledglings and vampyres are much more comfortable in the tunnels and want to rest there during the day. So we want to go to school here during the school day and rest at the tunnels after," she explained, conveniently leaving out that we _did_ want to break away. Hell, the High Council Leader would probably blow up if we told her that right away. "And after what happened with Nyx and the miracles she gave us, we thought it would be best to lodge elsewhere," Z added and looked to me.

I took that as my signal and walked into the shot as well. "Um, hiya ma'am, it's really nice to meet ya. I'm Stevie Rae," I introduced myself and smiled big.

"Merry meet, Stevie Rae," Duantia nodded to me and looked at my Mark, "yes, I have heard a lot about you and your fledglings, as well as meeting the Warrior Stark. The Goddess's miracles are quite generous and remarkable."

"Well yeah, I agree…but that wasn't exactly the miracles Zoey was talkin' 'bout, at least I don't think," I said and took a breath to continue, "Nyx came and forgave my Consort, Rephaim."

The High Council Leader's eyes widened in surprise, "Rephaim, is that not one of the names of the creatures you have called Raven Mockers?"

"It is," Neferet agreed with a nod.

"The Raven Mocker that killed my mate!" Dragon exclaimed, "and the brother of one of the Raven Mockers that attacked a student today!"

Before anything else could be said, JC's voice came calmly, "said student is in the room," she announced and stepped into the view of the camera holding her injured arm, "merry meet, Duantia. Please don't think that the Raven Mocker attack today was the result of Rephaim. If he was looking for his brother, then the Raven Mocker would've went to the tunnels where Rephaim is and not have attacked me or even come to the school. Animals know where the rest of their pack is," she gave the explanation from earlier.

Any other comments about Rephaim were temporarily cut off. "By all the gods!" Duantia exclaimed when JC stepped into her view, "Nyx truly has blessed them to come back, I didn't believe it."

"What?" another voice asked from the computer and Thanatos appeared a moment later. She looked at JC a moment and nodded, "I agree, Nyx has willed them to come back."

"If you do not mind my interruption, _what_ exactly has Nyx willed to come back? What is my student, Jennifer?" Neferet asked, doing her best to cover up her irritation.

"Spirit vampyres," four answers came back from Duantia, Thanatos, Lenobia, and JC herself.

"Lenobia," Duantia skewered the Horse Mistress a look, "I did not know you were in the room as well. Have you told Jennifer what you know?" she asked.

"I informed her of the basics she did not already know herself," Lenobia nodded politely. She wasn't a happy camper though, I could see that.

"How did you know some of the basics yourself?" Thanatos asked and looked to the girl in question.

JC bit her lip like she was debating on telling and then sighed. "I have spoken with Nyx once, she explained some basics as well. She did not want me coming into this world with the Darkness that is being seen without _some_ knowledge," she explained and glanced at Lenobia, "everything else I know is from my mentor. And that is very little still as well."

"Daniel would be a help in this situation," Lenobia commented and looked back to the computer screen, "Daniel _and_ his work would be much appreciated." Who was Daniel?

"Professor Kier was dismissed from this House of Night over a century ago due to his _works_," Neferet explained briskly, "like the Council had asked for. These so called _works_ are frowned upon in vampyre society."

"While I agree, these were frowned upon in vampyre society, there was reason for it," Thanatos spoke up, "the extinction of the Spirit vampyre race was a time highly looked down upon by all of us. With the return of the race, however, it may be best to bring some experts on the subject back in."

Duantia seemed to debate what was being said and nodded, "it may be best to bring in Daniel Kier again. He is an expert and would be very informational and helpful. We shall discuss it after the meeting," she determined and turned back to me, "now what is the rest of this story with the Raven Mocker?"

"The Raven Mocker killed my mate," Dragon repeated. Ok, I was gettin' pretty pissed. Yes, Rephaim killed Anastasia and none of us forgot that, but the Goddess forgave him for all that stuff!

"Dragon, please," Duantia held her hand up and looked to me, "the red Priestess's account is what I'm seeking."

I figured it was best to just start this whole crazy story from the beginning. "Oh, well, Rephaim was one of the Raven Mockers and was shot down in a fight a long time ago. I couldn't just let him die, he looked so human…so I nursed him back to health. Then he fought Darkness when I accidentally summoned the White Bull to help Zoey and…"

"Wait, the Raven Mocker _fought_ Darkness for you?" Duantia stopped me to ask.

"He not only fought, he left Darkness for her," Zoey stepped in, "last night when the Goddess came, Rephaim was granted the forgiveness he asked for…and now he's a boy! And I think now he is wishing to come to school here," she explained and looked to me to ask.

I nodded, "yeah, he wants to come to school…but he didn't come today because we knew it would be a lot to take in." I remembered the conversation we had that night and then before we left. Rephaim wanted to go so badly, but I couldn't let him. It'd be like throwing a piece of meat into a lion's den, he'd get torn apart right now.

"But he is only a boy from sunset to sunrise," Neferet interrupted. She just loves to ruin our plans. "During the day he is a raven, a beast who does not remember anything but animal instincts. He does not have humanity."

"And a creature like that should not be on school grounds," Dragon determined.

I was opening my mouth to defend him when JC cut in again. "No, maybe the creature shouldn't be here…but the _boy_ has every right to attend," she explained and looked at all of them before back to the computer, "of everyone here I think I can speak most truly when I say that I know of animal instincts."

"So you already know your guide animal then?" Thanatos asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"I know a variety of my guide animals, an explanation for a later date," JC answered, "but I can speak truly when I say that I know of animal instincts and how it relates to humanity. While yes, there are many animals that are considered more bestial than others, there is _always_ some form of humanity in them that can be touched. I'm living proof of that," she explained.

"Yes, but Jennifer, you must realize that you are a vampyre. Apparently a breed known as a Spirit vampyre," Neferet responded, sounding like she was explaining this to a two year old, "you are not a human."

"Please, you actually think Rephaim is fully human!" JC asked in surprise, "you are honestly going to sit there and tell me that a boy who turns into a freaking _raven_ during the day and is the son of a winged immortal and former Warrior of Nyx is only a mere _human?_" she exclaimed and chuckled, "because if you are truly going to believe that, then you must believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny too."

"The Spirit vampyre does bring up a valid point," Duantia agreed. Wow, I expected JC to get in trouble for the way she said that. "Though not eloquently put, she does bring up a valid point. I know of no human that can transform into a raven…and at one point in time you were claiming that his father was Erebus Incarnate, Neferet. Is that not true?" she asked and looked to the crazy woman.

"As I recanted last night, Kalona had me crazed in Darkness much like the rest of my school," she answered calmly, though the anger was definitely there.

"That does not answer the question, Neferet," the High Council Leader commented.

"Yes, I at one point in time did say Kalona was Erebus Incarnate," Neferet relented and glared at JC. That's when I saw the Darkness slither across the table from Neferet. I swallowed but realized after a moment that it wasn't going after me, it was going after the Spirit vamp beside me. Jenny swallowed and jerked her hand back from it, eyes wide. Could she see Darkness too? Satisfied, the crazy woman smirked just a bit and turned back to the computer. The whole thing was only a couple of seconds long, but it was a pretty dang telling couple of seconds.

"If that is the case, then it should be assumed that Rephaim is not just a human," Thanatos agreed, "and if the Goddess has forgiven him, then he will be allowed to go to school at the House of Night. Now Zoey, you were speaking before on the fact of you creating a new branch from Tulsa?"

Zoey grinned like a bubbly girl again and nodded, "yeah. A couple of us left after the whole Rephaim thing happened last night…"

"I had them expelled," Neferet added and looked between me, Zoey, and Stark, "our Sword Master would not accept Rephaim."

"Well that should be settled, Rephaim is to be taught at your House of Night, and you had no right to expel these students if they were standing up for a friend the Goddess has forgiven," Duantia announced, "though I must admit that I could understand how you came to such decisions, Rephaim is to go to the House of Night. Now go on, Zoey."

"Well, we left because of Rephaim, but we'd kinda like to stay, it's probably for the best we were expelled" Zoey explained, "the red fledglings are a lot more comfortable in the tunnels and other than me, no blue fledgling left. Between me and the Red High Priestess, plus two Warriors and quite possibly JC…"

"What!" Neferet shouted at the mention of Zoey's cousin. I swear, she momentarily turned as red as a tomato. She cleared her throat then continued, "sorry, it was just I did not know Jennifer intended to leave. With all due respect, I do not believe it best you go to this House of Night branch and leave here," she said and looked at JC gently. Wicked, wicked evil and humor were in her eyes though.

JC looked up at Neferet and actually _smiled_. Was this girl blind! "I actually agree with you, Neferet," she said and looked to Zoey, "I love the offer, cuz, but right now I think it's best if I stay here. With Lenobia who knows a lot about my race and the possibility of this Daniel Kier guy coming, it'd probably be best for me to stay here, easier to get info and all that. Plus, it's easier to contact the High Council and school Council should anything come up," she explained like it was simple.

My BFF seemed surprised, but nodded anyway, "sure…ok then, that sounds fair," she agreed but shot the Spirit vamp a look to say '_we're talking about this later_' then went back to the computer, "but still, between me, Stevie Rae, Stark, and Darius, we should be alright down there."

Duantia nodded, "and what do you say to this, Neferet?"

The High Priestess smiled calmly, "I see the error of my ways, but am willing to accept this branch so long as they still accept me as their High Priestess and follow the main House of Night's rules."

"Actually…not necessarily," Z cut in again, "you see, during my time on the Isle of Skye, I learned a lot from Queen Sgiach and I would kinda like to declare this branch off as an actual House of Night with me as its queen."

"You dare to actually consider yourself a queen?" Neferet asked and looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Well…Sgiach actually named me a queen while I was there and Stark is considered my Guardian, he got the sword and everything in the Otherworld. So yeah, not a very big queen, but I suppose I kinda am," she explained with a bit of a shrug.

"If it's any help, Spirit suggested and I accepted Zoey as my first Charge, her Guardian, Stark, is my second," JC spoke up.

"You have not one, but _two_ Charges already?" Duantia asked, turning her eyes to her.

JC nodded and held up her hand, showing the Marks on her wrist, "yup."

"This girl is just full of surprises," Thanatos breathed in a moment of lack of composure. Man, JC was just confusin' the heck outta these people.

"Yes, but either way," Duantia cleared her throat, "we do not condone the idea of vampyre queens. Priestesses, Warriors, Professors and any branch off thereof, but vampyre queens are not part of our traditions. It is something we must discuss among ourselves, Zoey, and in that time of not having a High Priestess, you will follow the rules of Neferet."

"Actually, ma'am," I spoke up, "not to be disrespectful, but if anyone is to follow Z as a High Priestess over there it's me. I mean, my fledglings kinda need someone who knows and understands them…and as their High Priestess that's me. So call us a branch or whatever, but I'm thinkin' that maybe I should be the High Priestess over there," I explained.

The High Council Leader smiled at me, "indeed you are right. You are not being disrespectful, you are being a High Priestess. So, Stevie Rae, until the matter with Zoey Redbird is cleared, you are the acting High Priestess of the depot tunnels House of Night. Now, if there are no other matters to be discussed, Thanatos and I would like to speak with Jennifer in private," Duantia announced, surprising JC out of her thoughts it looked like.

"I believe we are all set, thank you for meeting with us Duantia, blessed be," Neferet said and bowed respectfully to the computer, "we shall leave you and Jennifer in peace," she added and ushered everybody out.

"I'll meet with you guys as soon as I'm done," JC whispered to me to let us all know. I just nodded and walked out, catching up with Zoey and Stark to tell them what was going on.

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

Ok, I gotta admit that I wasn't paying attention to a lot of that. It was mainly about a bunch of matters I wasn't there for, and I was still rather pissed off at what happened. I got the gist of it, I mean I knew Zoey and the group would be living in the depot tunnels under Stevie Rae and that Rephaim was going to come to school…that was all I needed. When they wanted to meet with me, I was surprised.

After everyone had left, I shifted chairs to sit down in front of the computer, still holding my arm. My hand was covered in blood, but I think it had mainly stopped flowing by now, which was a bonus.

"Merry meet, Jennifer," they said at the same time and I nodded back to them, just kinda waiting for what they were going to say. "You have to understand that your Marking is one of much interest to us for the sake of the vampyre community," Duantia stated bluntly.

"Well, I can imagine so," I agreed and sighed, "but it's not like I know much of what's going on with me myself at the moment. I know a bit of history with the race and a little bit of what I can do and the logistics of what I am, but that's it," I explained.

"You know the history?" Thanatos asked, "meaning you know what has happened to your race to make them extinct?"

"You mean the mass slaughter they faced?" I asked and tried not to spat out the words, "yeah…I know all about that."

"Then you can probably understand our hesitations about your Marking," Duantia stated.

I shook my head and scrunched up my face, "no…actually, I really can't. What happened during that massacre was a bunch of innocent and humble beings died for no other reason but fear and panic and mass paranoia," I retorted and crossed my arms, "are you telling me something different?" Yup, I was still pissed and this was _really_ not helping.

Thanatos sighed and looked away a moment, "no, we are not trying to tell you something different because that is what happened. Your race was persecuted mercilessly due to a large amount of paranoia. But that is why we are worried, not about us but about you. Very few do actually know about your race, but as information gets to you, it gets to others and we have another situation on our hands," she explained.

Ok, I hadn't thought about that…but still. "I appreciate the concern, but I think I can handle myself fairly well by now even if I don't know what I am…" I trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Yeah, that probably wasn't the best argument.

"Yes, we are not saying that you can't," Thanatos agreed, "but if it were to come down to mass paranoia…no one knows what could happen."

"I understand…but I don't intend to be as passive if it were to come to a fight," I explained and sighed…this was a losing argument. They were both alive during the end of my race, and though I was a Spirit vampyre, I knew very little. "I feel as though there is more to this than what we are saying. What is it that you're suggesting I do?" I asked to get out of this running around in circles.

Thanatos and Duantia glanced at each other and the Leader nodded. "We would like you to talk to someone already mentioned in this meeting. Queen Sgiach, what do you know about her?" Thanatos asked.

"Very little, as I do about much of everything at the moment," I sighed and ran my non-bloodied hand over my face. "I know my cousin, who is Zoey if you haven't caught that, was brought to Sgiach by Stark when she was shattered and in the Otherworld. And I know that ancient magick is on her isle…that's about it," I shrugged, telling everything I knew.

"Already it is far more than what normal vampyres know," Duantia stated, "since that is the case then, as much as our ties are broken, we would like for you to meet with Sgiach, and soon. She has put in a bid to reopen a House of Night on her isle, and as surprising as that is, we have no reason to deny her request."

I sat back in the chair, shocked. Based on what Zoey and Stark told me, this was like a near impossibility when it came to the Queen and the Council. "You're saying you want me to go to the House of Night on the Isle of Skye?" I asked, just to clarify.

"Though our connections are not the greatest, yes," Thanatos nodded, "while you may have Lenobia here to aid you, Sgiach was alive and friends with many of the Spirit vampyres at the time. She knows about them and about the magick and gifts the Goddess gives them. She will be able to grant a lot of information and help to you to allow you to grow as a Spirit vampyre," she explained, "is there a way that you could contact her?"

My eyes widened just a bit at the forward, surprising question. "Um…I suppose I can ask Z about it tomorrow," I responded with a shrug, "I can't do much more than that though."

"But you are willing to do this?" Duantia asked.

"Anything to learn more about my race," I said and added silently _and anything to get away from Neferet and her creepy assed Darkness._

"That is the most we can ask of you," Thanatos told me, "if you cannot get into contact with Sgiach yourself, contact us and we can set up a meeting for you. We do not know how this will turn out, but we hope Sgiach will not turn you away."

I blew out a long breath and nodded, "that is fair enough. Is there anything else?" I asked.

"No, that is all, go and get your wounds checked out, we will be in contact soon. Blessed be, Jennifer," Duantia nodded and cut off the connection.

"Blessed be," I muttered to the blank screen and got up to leave the room, leaving the computer behind. No way in hell was I going to deliver Neferet's computer back to her!

Going outside, I noticed that the others really had stuck back and were all waiting around the building. Zoey looked up from where she was sitting on Stark's lap to ask me what was going on. I could tell just by the look on her face. "Look, I'm coming by the tunnels tomorrow, we can talk then. After the Raven Mocker, it probably isn't safe to be staying out here, and on top of that I need to go see Helena still and I'm about ready to drop dead. So _please_ can we do this tomorrow?" I asked before anyone could say anything. I wanted to just go to sleep so badly I could've cried.

Zoey looked me over and must have noticed something in my appearance because she nodded. "Ok, that's fine, but how are you going to get to the tunnels tomorrow?" she asked, "Neferet clearly doesn't want you going."

I smirked, already having a plan worked out for that, "I have my ways, Z, don't worry. Hurry up and get out of here so you can get back to the tunnels before sunrise. I'll be fine and see you tomorrow," I said.

"Ok, I just have two questions for ya," Stevie Rae stopped me, "how were you so dang _calm_ in there with everyone?"

I chuckled and shrugged, "after already talking with Neferet today, I figured what was the worst that could happen after that? And well…it was kinda like meeting with the principal and the school board, that's all that happened," I answered. At least, that's what I kept telling myself in there so I didn't go crazy and break down and cry…for the second time in one day, "next?"

"Is it really that easy to transform into an animal?" she asked and looked at me. I could see a bit of worry in her eyes.

"Oh for shit's sake! What kind of question is _that!_" Aphrodite exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and answered, "for some it is, for others it isn't. It really all just depends, I've had these powers for a long time and I got used to them. So it may be hard for Rephaim now, but it should get easier," I promised and looked to the sky for a moment, "now really, you guys should be getting going…we can talk tomorrow ok?"

"Thank you, sounds good…now seriously, let's get the hell out of here!" Aphrodite exclaimed and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again.

"Ok, we're going," Zoey said but came over and hugged me anyway, "stay safe alright? After the Raven Mocker I'm seriously starting to worry about you," she told me quietly.

"Stay safe yourself, I'll be ok, I promise. I'm just going to get this patched up and then go to bed, nothing major," I promised her.

"Fair enough, but still, be careful. I'll see you tomorrow," Z said, gave me another quick hug and then ran off to catch up with the rest of the group.

I watched them for a bit, and when I was content they were safe (essentially when I could faintly see the Hummer they came in pulling out of the parking lot), I turned away and hurried off to the infirmary. Once there, Helena took me back right away, and after admonishing me for a good bit about not going to see her right away (which yeah, ok, it was a bit of a brain fart moment on my part), she wrapped my arm up and sent me on my way.

I essentially sprinted back to the dorms, not wanting to be outside alone again, not after what happened last time, and rushed up to my room. I changed my clothes out of the now ripped and dirty clothes I had on and sat down on my bed before I even said anything.

Gwen was watching me over her book the whole time, and Quinn, Duchess, Oreo, and she were all looking confused and a bit concerned. "I'll explain absolutely _everything_ tomorrow, right now I'm so tired and I really just want sleep," I said, my voice cracking a bit. The thought of sleep was just so wonderful right now.

"That sounds like a fair deal, you look like you're about to drop dead," my roommate nodded, "sleep well."

"Thank you," I sighed in relief and as Gwen continued reading, I curled up under the blankets on my bed and closed my eyes to let sleep take over me.


	17. Fight On

**A/N: Hello all again! So, I know this chapter is really long, my longest one yet. But I'd like to think there are a couple of surprises in here that makes up for that :).**

**Also, I've been noticing that fanfic has been eating my triple punctuation of late, and it's been bugging me a bit. If you've noticing that happening too, well, sorry, just realized it a couple of days ago.**

**This chapter is dedicated to HoNObsessed for being my one and only reviewer for a while and for easing my mind about long chapters. Thank you for liking them! And yeah, I did finish _Destined_, it was great, loved it as I always do =D.**

**Disclaimer: Yup, don't own _House of Night_. I own JC though, and Gwen and Quinn, along with some others, and if I see them anywhere else without my permission, I will hunt you down and eat you. No joke, I'm possesive with my things, I never did learn how to share very well.**

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

Sleep was the only thing I wanted, and to some extent, I got it. I made sure not to lie on my bad arm, like Helena made sure to _repeatedly_ tell me not to do. It was kind of funny, she reminded me of Miss Highland…on steroids, Helena was _far_ worse than my old school nurse. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's nice and funny and knows how to do her job, but she has got to be the most protective nurse and worrier I've ever met.

But anyway, I fell asleep rather quickly and, unlike last night, had a dream I could actually remember. I blinked open my eyes to a glowing moon and stars above me and soft, springy grass below me. Hey, if this was how I was going to dream, I couldn't complain. Slowly, I got up to my feet and noticed that I was, once again, in the white dress with purple swirls…the same one that I was in when I met Nyx.

"Ugh, another meeting?" I groaned and rolled my neck back. The last thing I wanted to do was have _another_ meeting after talking with the High Council…but if that's what the Goddess wanted, then I would.

Walking along, I found my feet bringing me back to the stream I had gone to the last time I was in the Otherworld. What I wasn't expecting as I walked was to see another figure already sitting at the stream with his feet dunked in the water. He seemed content, swishing his feet in the water and singing parts to…'Defying Gravity'?

"Um…hello?" I cleared my throat and called out. He turned back and looked at me, a big grin already on his sweet face, "sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt you," I added sheepishly.

"Oh, hi! Don't be silly, you didn't interrupt me!" he grinned and stood up, his feet and the bottom of his pants soaked, "I wasn't expecting to have anyone here…but that's ok, company is always fun!"

I couldn't help but to grin back at this blonde haired boy, his smile was just that infectious. "Ok, well if you're sure, would you mind if I just came and sat with you a little bit?" I asked, "I don't know why I'm here exactly so I guess I'm waiting…honestly, and I would rather just relax here if I had the choice."

"No, of course not!" he giggled and we walked back over to the stream. I copied him after he put his feet in the water, hiking up the skirt to my dress and dunking my feet in as well. I had to admit, it was pretty nice and relaxing to be doing this in a dream compared to the stuff I couldn't remember yesterday. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I entirely forgot my manners," the boy beside me exclaimed and turned to me, "my name's Jack."

And suddenly that calmness I was feeling disappeared and my smile faltered. I finally noticed the unfilled, blue crescent on his forehead. Jack? Jack as in…Jack Twist, the boy that was killed?

"Yeah, my name's Jack Twist," he answered and smiled a bit sadly. Shit, had I really just spoken out loud? "And yeah, I was the fledgling that was killed."

"Oh shit," I muttered and covered my mouth, "sorry…I didn't mean to say that out loud…it just kind of..."

"It's ok," Jack smiled gently at me, "it is true after all."

"Yeah…I guess," I trailed off and just looked at him for a moment. This was just insanely weird, I was talking to the spirit of Jack Twist in the Otherworld. Not the typical night of a teenage girl. "Oh, um, sorry," I said suddenly, realizing I never introduced myself, "I'm Jennifer…"

"I know who you are," he cut me off and that big grin returned again, "you're Jenny Connolly, but you like to be called JC. You're down there helping Damien and our friends," he explained.

"Wow," I muttered, "you really are watching out for him."

"For all of them," he corrected me, "times like these require a little…outside assistance," he added and sighed, "I'm watching after you too if you want to know."

"Times like these," I repeated quietly and then looked at him in surprise, "why would you be watching me too?"

"You're helping my friends…and based on everything I saw, you need some outside help too," Jack answered and looked up at me sincerely.

"Ok," I responded simply, "well, thank you." Really, how do you respond to that?

"You're facing a lot of difficulties," he continued and looked me over, "or will be…either way you need some outside help as well."

"Yeah, a lot," I agreed and looked Jack over in turn. A young boy, still full of life and innocence in some ways. Bubbly, kind, loving…this was the kid Zoey described to me 100% in her letters. But there was something else there with him, something I wanted to say was wisdom and understanding. It was an odd combination. "And I'm assuming you can't tell me these difficulties?" I asked rhetorically.

"Nyx was already kind enough to bless me with this opportunity, so no, I can't sorry," Jack answered and shrugged a little helplessly.

I smiled in response, "that's ok…after my initial meeting I've pretty much been hitting dead ends, so I'm getting used to it pretty quickly. Though I don't suppose you know why I'm here?" I asked. Hey, he knew Nyx and was a spirit, it was worth a shot to see if he knew.

"Actually no, you weren't expected to be here at all as far as I know. If Nyx wanted to see you, I think she'd be here by now," he explained and looked down, "sorry I'm not much of a help. I'm kinda new to all this too so…"

"Jack, I promise you, it's ok," I cut off with a laugh, "really, it's…" I trailed off, suddenly distracted by something else. I couldn't quite explain it, it was just a change in the air and temperature around me. Why the hell did this keep happening? "Really, it's alright," I finished my thought, but Jack had already noticed it and was looking at me knowingly.

"You can feel it too," he stated, "but you shouldn't be scared of it. It feeds off of fear."

I had that sinking feeling again. "What is _it_?" I asked. Goddess, if ever I needed an answer, it was now.

"It's…JC!" Whatever his answer was going to be was cut off briskly as I felt something tug at me. Things got cold and went black really quickly. Oh dear Goddess…what was happening?

I fell into the dark and nothingness and…I don't know how long later, finally woke up from it. "Jack!" I cried and sat bolt right up in bed. Wait, bed?

I looked around to find I was back in my room at the House of Night. There were the walls, there was Gwen asleep in the bed across from me, Oreo curled up by her side. Down at the foot of my bed were Quinn and Duchess snoozing as well. I was in my room and for the time being, I was safe. But it felt so, _so_ real.

Deciding I couldn't stay in bed and go back to sleep, I gently got up and tip toed to the bathroom, closing the door and flicking the light on behind me. Sure, I was blind for a moment due to the light, but it woke me up. I walked over to the sink and braced myself against it, looking at my reflection in the mirror hanging above it.

"I look like crap…" I sighed and turned the cold water on. After splashing myself in the face a few dozen times and drying my face off, I looked in the mirror again and chuckled a bit. "Yup, still look like crap," I muttered and turned away from my reflection, leaning against the back wall.

I didn't realize until I sunk down the wall and my butt and legs landed on the tile floor that I was a bit cold and damp. "Yuck," I grumbled and picked at my clothes; I was drenched in sweat. What in the _hell_ was going on with me? This place was driving me fucking nuts.

"C'mon girl, pull yourself together," I told myself and pulled my hair back from my face, "you're stronger than this…you're _better_ than this," I mumbled and sighed, looking at the tiles on the floor. I grew up learning quickly that crying never solved anything and that freaking out was even worse because you're head wasn't clear. Crying and freaking out was for the weak…something I couldn't be now. I was considered the level-headed one in high school because I lived by those rules. So then why was I breaking them now?

"I'm not some pain in the ass, crybaby girl," I said and got up, "I don't cry over some dream…I don't, I don't, I _don't_," I repeated and went over to the shower. I was gross and needed to get clean, I needed to calm down, a shower would hopefully do just that and more. Leaving my clothes in a pile and wrapping my bandages in the plastic thing Helena gave me, I stepped into the shower and allowed myself to momentarily just forget everything going on.

After I was done, well I had to say that it did help. Feeling a lot less stressed (and disgusting), I wrapped a towel around me again and walked back over to the mirror. Wiping off the steam, I looked at myself again and let out a bit of a sigh. "Not looking as much like crap now at least," I told my reflection, "and a bit more relieved. You gave yourself time to clear your thoughts, good." Yes…talking to myself was a regular thing…and I _did_ make a plan. After thinking about it while showering, I admitted to myself that I was definitely going to need some help with this. And while the Council suggested this Queen Sgiach, I didn't know what would happen with that. Who I did have, however, was Lenobia. She was my mentor, she knew stuff, and she was trustworthy…or at least I believed she was trustworthy. "I can go to her before I go to the tunnels," I agreed with myself while ringing out my hair, "she'll help me."

Once I was content with my hair being dry enough, I went back out into our room to get changed (since I didn't bring clothes into the bathroom again) not caring about stealth or waking anyone up this time. Going to the closet, I tugged on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt since it was versatile, I could sleep in them and wear them down to the tunnels. I hadn't woken anyone up thus far, but on my way back to my bed, I stubbed my toe and hissed out a long list of cusses in pain. That woke my roommate up.

"JC?" Gwen asked groggily and sat up in bed to look at me sleepily, "what are you doing? Did you shower?"

"Yeah," I answer and sat on my bed, holding my foot, "I did and I just stubbed my toe on the table. Sorry, I really didn't mean to wake you," I added and looked over at her sheepishly.

"'S ok," she slurred sleepily and rubbed her eye, "and if I might add, you kind of look like crap. Haven't you been sleeping well tonight?"

"Well thanks," I said sarcastically, "but I know…that's why I took a shower. And no, not tonight either. I woke up from another bad dream drenched in sweat…hence the shower," I explained and leaned back on my bed, the throbbing in my toe subsiding.

"Huh, that isn't good," Gwen responded and sat up, apparently now more awake. I could feel her eyes studying me and I looked up to meet her amber gaze in question, "I'm worried about you," she stated.

"Funny, that's what Zoey told me after the Council meeting because of the Raven Mocker attack," I commented offhandedly.

"Raven Mocker attack?"

I winced slightly at the shock and fear in Gwen's voice and instantly regretted my comment. "Only one, Gwen, it was only one, and it's dead now," I explained and subconsciously rubbed at the cuts on my arm, "it attacked me on my way to the meeting. Luckily it didn't take me by _too_ much of a surprise and one of the fledglings, Cole I think his name was, was around to help me before Stark, Zoey, and Stevie Rae came around. My cousin's Guardian shot it down and killed it."

"It is dead?" Gwen asked and I nodded, "and you reported it?"

"We told everyone, including Dragon, before the meeting began," I added, "it's going to be ok. Well…"

"No, it's not," she took the words out of my mouth, "a Raven Mocker attack more than likely means Kalona is still around…meaning more Raven Mockers are still around. And all the more reason for me to worry about you because it went after _you_."

"Yeah, but I'm ok other than the scratches," I shrugged and dropped my hand from the bandages, "I mean…I very well could've been the first thing it saw and it just attacked."

"That's possible…but highly unlikely. And JC…" Gwen trailed off and looked like she was having an inner debate about what she was going to say, "it isn't just that being a reason why I'm worried. I've…felt Darkness around you."

Oh. My eyes dropped instantly to the bed and I swallowed. Well this was unexpected. "It's probably just because of me being around the people who are in Darkness," I shrugged a bit. I didn't have an explanation for this myself, but that was one of the ideas that crossed my mind, "I mean I was around Neferet and Dee today so…"

"Yeah, but it lingered around you."

"I think because I can see it," I whispered and was surprised that Gwen heard me, "I don't know why I can see it and I don't know how, but I know that I do. And I know Darkness does too because Neferet knew and called me out."

Her eyes widened, "she WHAT?"

I sighed and began my story on everything that happened last night. Sure it was the middle of the day and I didn't expect to be doing it then, but whatever. When I was finished retelling what went on and what I had planned, Gwen shook her head and blew out a breath, "all the more reason for me to worry about you!"

"Gwen, I'm going to handle this, all of us will. There's no need to worry," I said, though not quite believing myself. There was a need to worry, just not yet.

"No need to worry?" she asked in surprise, "do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"

"Yes, I do," I nodded, "but right now we can't worry. We need to plan our next move out soon and go from there. _That's_ when we start worrying," I joked a bit. But it was true, once we figured and sorted everything out and came up with a plan, it would be better and we would actually _have_ something to worry about.

She sighed and looked at me, "you're really betting on doing this aren't you?"

"It's really the only thing we can do," I answered, "I have to bet on this."

Gwen cracked a small smile and fell back on her bed, "I'm really starting to question if you're really only 16."

I chuckled, "I've been called wise beyond my years many times. But trust me, I feel like I've aged 20 years with everything going on and it's only been two days."

In response, she threw the covers over her head, "get some sleep then, you're gonna need it. We all do."

"I'll try, and if I'm not here in the morning it's because I've met with Lenobia," I agreed and closed my eyes again to try and get the sleep I wanted.

I tossed and turned most of the night again. I didn't have any weird or scary dreams that I could remember, I just didn't sleep well…again. When it was around sunset, I finally gave up the attempt and got out of bed. Deciding it was still a bit too cold out to be going out in just a T-shirt, I put on one of my old, school sweatshirts over top and put on my tennis shoes. I looked back to my bed to decide if I forgot anything and caught sight of the dogs. I sighed and felt a bit guilty.

"Hey Quinn," I muttered and leaned down next to her, gently ruffling her ears. She looked at me with sleepy eyes, "I'm going out to meet with Lenobia and then going down to the tunnels. Just letting you know and wondering if you wanted to come with me," I explained quietly.

"_Do you want me to come with you?"_ she asked in response.

"It's entirely up to you," I answered.

"_I want to sleep, and that's what you should be doing too,"_ Quinn responded and looked me over, "_I'll stay here, but the very instant you sense any danger around you…call for me."_

"Ok, love you girl," I said and jogged out of the room. Quietly, I slipped out of the dorms, hardly anyone was up yet anyway, so that wasn't hard. Fast walking through the courtyards (yeah, I still didn't like to be outside alone), I made my way to the stables rather quickly. Walking in, I felt rather weird. The horses were in their stalls, but I didn't see or hear Lenobia anywhere.

"Lenobia…are you in here?" I called out to get no answer.

"_She went out with one of the horses."_ I turned my head to see a dappled gray head hanging over a stall and looking at me, "_she just went out too…so she may be a while."_

I sighed, "damn, I really needed to talk to her. But thanks, Persephone," I nodded to my cousin's horse.

"_I can go find her if you want, or we both can,"_ Persephone offered, "_if you really need to talk to her, I could always go for a run."_

I looked at the mare for a moment. Should I really do that? It seemed like it would be against the rules. But then I remembered the dream I had and Gwen's words…_I've felt Darkness around you._ Yeah, I definitely needed to talk to her, the rules would be forgotten this time. "That would be a great help, thank you," I said and unlatched the stall door. Persephone walked out and stood beside me. I looked up and sighed, "you wouldn't happen to know where the saddles are, would you?"

"_That'll take too long. Lenobia's let me ride bareback before, it's alright with me if it's alright with you,"_ she said.

I'd ridden bareback a couple times at the stables before, so it was possible. "I suppose I can do that," I nodded and using the stall door and wall and my own weight and strength, managed to haul myself up onto the mare. "You alright?" I asked.

"_I'm probably better than you. Now hold on,"_ she warned me and once I got a good grip in her mane, Persephone took off. It had been quite a while since I had ridden a horse, especially bareback, and now I was wondering my sanity because of it. Being on a horse, feeling their sheer power thrumming beneath you and feeling the wind and air rushing past you is one of the best feelings in the world. The feeling of sheer and complete freedom, you can't ask for much else.

I had lost all sense of time and space, and even for a brief period of time forgot what I was supposed to be doing. Persephone's voice was what brought me back. "_I can see Lenobia with Popper now,"_ she announced and I refocused my attention ahead of us to see the blonde professor trotting along on a white gelding.

Apparently hearing the mare's hooves beating, Lenobia glanced back from Popper to see me and Persephone. "JC," she said and gave me a hard look when the horse I was riding slowed next to them, "I don't believe I gave you permission to ride my horses, much less _bareback_."

I sighed and looked down to Persephone's neck, "I know…but I've been breaking a lot of rules and formalities of late it would seem. I'm sorry, it's just that I _really_ need someone to talk to right now who could help me, and you're it here," I explained and looked back up to my mentor, "and for the record, riding out here and riding bareback were both Persephone's ideas." The horse snorted at being ratted out…but I knew Lenobia would do nothing to her.

And I was right. The Horse Mistress's face softened a bit and she chuckled at Persephone, "she is a bit of a troublemaker. And are you ok?" she asked and turned to me, clearly worried.

"I…I…" I trailed off. I didn't exactly plan on how to say this. I determined I needed to talk to her about this, but how exactly did I say it? I mean, just blurting out 'hey, I can see, feel, and am attracted to the very evil we are facing and fighting against' just didn't seem to be a good way to put it. "I'm having issues," I answered finally.

"I can see that," Lenobia commented, "what kind of issues are you having?"

I dropped my eyes again, watching the ground pass by Persephone's hooves. "Darkness issues."

Out of my peripheral vision, I could see her face contort in surprise, "what has Neferet done to you?"

I swallowed, "it isn't so much what Neferet has done to me compared to what I have done to her," I knew that would be confusing so I continued, "Lenobia, I can see Darkness."

"Huh," she muttered, "well I suppose the vast amounts around here have allowed that ability to develop faster," she answered. I looked up in sheer surprise and confusion and this time, she continued, "JC, many of the Spirit vampyres could sense or see Darkness, just as they could Light. You and your element connects you to the Otherworld closer than others, thus you can sense the magick of the Otherworld that is here better than most of us," Lenobia explained.

"That kind of would've been a nice thing to know before," I said and looked at her, but let out a sigh of relief anyway. Maybe I wasn't going as crazy as I originally thought. Maybe that explained the chill I would feel at times too…since it just dawned on me that I felt that chill right before a Raven Mocker, a creature of Darkness, attacked me.

"I know, and I'm sorry," she agreed, "but like any fledgling and vampyre, every Spirit vampyre develops differently. I don't know what you're going to need help on and what you aren't going to need help on and when you'll need help on stuff or not."

I instantly felt bad for my comment. "I'm sorry too, I didn't mean it like that, I'm just…really stressed," I explained and leaned gently on Persephone's neck. Everyone develops differently huh? Then maybe…just maybe I should chance it and continue on. "And Lenobia," I continued and glanced back down to the mare, "what about…attractive forces to Darkness?" I choked out in a whisper, but she heard it.

She looked shocked, but remained calm, "do you find yourself attracted to Darkness?"

"A little bit, yes," I admitted.

Lenobia appeared to be in thought for a moment before she breathed out, "martyrs."

"Martyrs?" I asked. Yeah, I knew what the word meant…and I certainly didn't like it.

"It's…it's a theory," Lenobia answered and began to explain, "it was never actually a proven or disproven fact, even in their recorded history. It was a theory that the Spirit vampyres with bestial guide animals had the attraction to Darkness due to their guide animals."

"Every animal has humanity with it," I spoke the words strongly, it was the belief I had since I was little.

"Yes, but even you admitted that some animals are more bestial than others," she responded, "ravens, snakes, panthers…"

"Yes, yes ok I see your point," I nodded, "so these…darker animals I'll say, they have a closer connection to Darkness?" I asked.

"It is believed to be so, and I'm assuming you can shift into one of them," Lenobia assumed.

"Try all of the above," I sighed and looked up, noticing that we were coming towards the stables. The sun was getting low in the sky by now too. "But what I don't understand is where the term 'martyr' is coming in."

She sighed as well, "the term 'martyr' comes in when a Spirit vampyre had one of these animals as their guide animal. We all know that Nyx's gifts to us should not be used for our own benefits, but some of us still do from time to time…it's just human nature, something we all once were. However, in the theory with the martyrs, Spirit vampyres with these guide animals could not use their gifts for themselves at all, lest their soul would slowly become corrupted and they would turn to the side of Darkness. There were records of many vampyres losing their minds in this battle, and many of the vampyres were recorded to have these guide animals. They had to keep their powers in check at all times and have a strict following of the Goddess as well. It is an extremely hard process to corrupt the element though, since Spirit is such a wonderful gift of Light, and that's one of the reasons the theory was discredited by many," Lenobia explained and I slowed up Persephone to allow her and Popper back into the stables first.

I probably lost five shades of color and paled to look like snow. Turned to Darkness…lost their minds? Could this possibly have already started to happen to me? Is that why I had that dream, is that how Neferet knew? Dear Goddess, I think I'm going to be sick. I swallowed loudly and my mentor must have heard since she turned around. "JC!" she exclaimed and gracefully got off of her gelding. She ran over to me and helped me get off of Persephone then lent me her shoulder to lean on. I didn't even realize I was shaking until I nearly fell three times. "Jennifer, are you alright?"

I looked up blindly to Lenobia, my mind and all the possibilities were going faster than what the mare I rode was doing earlier. I couldn't think straight…it only took a couple minutes to break that new, calm approach. Man what was wrong with me? "Lenobia, that could already be me!" I cried and put even more of my weight on her.

"No, no Jennifer, it couldn't," Lenobia promised quickly and put a hand on both my shoulders, "it isn't you. Your guide animal is the wolf, you've already admitted that you have the strongest connection with the wolf, the representation of Spirit and of Light. Darkness did not get to you, ok?" she asked.

"B-but Neferet, and the Darkness, and the dream!" I exclaimed. I hadn't realized it, but we had started walking, and Lenobia had led me to her office, sitting me down in one of the chairs.

"What are you talking about?" she asked and sounded really, really concerned.

Collecting myself just enough, I explained everything that had happened starting yesterday with Dee and Neferet up through what Gwen had told me this morning. Oddly enough, by the end I was a bit calmer again and I chewed on my lip as I waited to hear what my mentor had to say.

"Neferet is playing mind games with you, that is what the Darkness around you is, and it is possible that some of your animals are attracting it longer than normal, but the Darkness around you, that is Neferet, I guarantee it," Lenobia told me, "and now that you know that, you should let it go. Right now, as far as I'm concerned, it means nothing."

"That's it?" I asked and she nodded, "then…what about the dream?"

Her stormy gray eyes clouded over and she sighed, "that, I don't know. And it troubles me as much about you as it does the status of the Otherworld. I do not claim to know about Nyx's Realm, but I don't see that as a good sign if it is Darkness."

"That's kind of what I thought after I woke up," I said and looked at the desk in front of me, "if Darkness could rip me from there, well it obviously isn't good for me, but if Darkness could infiltrate the Otherworld…that isn't good either."

"If it was Darkness as you are saying," Lenobia added, "I'm not one hundred percent sure it was Darkness. Listen, after I take care of my horses, I shall do some research on my own and see if I come up with anything, does that sound fair?" she asked. I only nodded, "good, then you will go off to the tunnels like you planned and see your cousin. Right now, though I'm not for keeping secrets from them, it'd probably be best if you didn't say anything to them with so little information," she added.

"That sounds fair, and thank you so, _so_ much," I agreed and stood up from the chair. I reached into my hoodie pocket to pull out the concealer that I meant to grab before leaving my room only to find it not there. Crap. "Lenobia, would you happen to have concealer? My Mark transfers forms and it'd be kinda weird to see an animal with a bright purple Mark," I explained.

She gave a slight smile and nodded, "I'm glad you think somewhat ahead. I'll get you some." She disappeared from her office only to reappear a few minutes later with a squeeze bottle of the stuff.

I sighed in relief and applied it quickly over my forehead and wrist before attempting to give it back. "Keep it," Lenobia declined, "I'm not going to be using it any time soon."

"Thank you so much," I said again and…feeling insanely grateful, reached over and hugged my mentor. She seemed taken aback by it, but hugged me back before I pulled away. "I'll see you later tonight," I added and I was off.

* * *

><p>Flying is a really liberating thing, let me say. The wind beneath your wings and all around you, near the dusk sky…it's another one of those feelings that's just so free. The flight over to the Tulsa Depot as a hawk was not nearly as long as I expected, but it was definitely another one of those needed stress relievers.<p>

As I was landing near the tunnel entrance, I noticed a figure emerge from some of the underbrush around it. I watched curiously as the Cherokee boy walk around for a little bit, appearing to stretch out his limbs. This must be Rephaim.

I let out a screech as he started to approach the entrance of the tunnels. Startled, he turned around and locked eyes with me. I flew off the branch I landed on and shifted back into my normal form, smiling at him. "You must be Rephaim."

Even more startled now, he looked me over cautiously and nodded, "I am Rephaim, that is correct. And you are?"

"Jennifer, most call me JC though, you don't know me," I explained, "but I've heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you"

"Ah, you are the one Stevie Rae and the others are talking about," Rephaim nodded, "and nice to finally meet you. You are here to see your cousin?"

"Well, sort of," I nodded and whatever else I was going to say was cut off by a snap of a twig.

"Did you hear that?" Rephaim asked and I nodded. A moment later we were surrounded by red fledglings. And they weren't a part of Stevie Rae's group either.

"Well look at that," the one in the front, the only vampyre of the group smirked, "Bird Boy is here after all, _and_ he's got a snack for us." Well clearly I wasn't Bird Boy, and I sure as hell wasn't going to stand for being called a freaking _snack_.

"You calling me a snack?" I asked and cocked an eyebrow. I momentarily forgot that my Mark was covered…and I probably should've been thankful.

"Stay out of this, it isn't your fight," he ordered and looked back to Rephaim, "is this one for your _slut?"_

Rephaim stiffened, "Stevie Rae does not get blood from humans and she is most certainly not a slut!"

"Right, she gets her blood from creatures like you, I forgot," the vampyre rolled his eyes and some of the fledglings snickered. "It should be easy to get passed you two then down into the tunnels, step down and it won't be a painful death…much," he added.

"You will not get to the tunnels," Rephaim responded. I felt electricity crackle through the air and the boy jumped out of the way just in time to miss the crack. Fight on.

I staggered backwards just in time to miss one of the fledgling girls lunging at me. Rephaim was going after the vampyre, they met half way and started wrestling on the ground. I was just kind of flinging fledglings around. For as good as the vampyre was, a lot of these fledglings sucked just as much. Until the biggest red fledgling there approached me.

I looked up, eyes widened. "You are a large guy," I mumbled and moved to the side to avoid getting completely body checked by the dude. That's when I heard a pained cry and turned just slightly to see Rephaim with blood gushing from a wound on his forehead. Oh hell. Ok, enough messing around. I let out a vicious snarl and transformed into a wolf for the remainder of this fight.

"Holy shit, she just turned into a wolf!" someone screamed and I let out a howl. Might as well wake up the tunnels.

I really just started running and snarling, baring teeth and flashing claws. Anyone that came near me was going to get attacked, I was pissed off again. It didn't take long for the people in the tunnels to get up to the outside.

"Dallas?" I heard Stevie Rae twang and everything stopped, "oh my Goddess, Rephaim!"

"Hello Stevie Rae," Dallas, apparently, smiled up at the blonde and started advancing on her.

I growled and ran after him, it was the perfect distraction. I rammed the guy on his side and pinned him to the ground, snarling over him without a second thought. "Ok, I'm pretty damn well pissed off, if you don't leave right now I will not hesitate to rip your throat out in the most painful and slow way possible," I threatened, noticing the others going towards Rephaim and the red fledglings looking confused. They were waiting for a command.

"You wouldn't dare," he growled back in a voice that near matched my own. Well that wasn't a good sign.

I sunk my claws into his shoulders and he winced, "you wanna bet?"

He seemed to relent and I let him go. Watching closely, Dallas motioned to the other, somewhat bloodied fledglings and they retreated into the shadows of the brush. "This is far from over, she-wolf," I heard float gently on the air. I was shook out of it when I heard Stevie Rae start to close.

I bolted for the group gathered around Rephaim, transforming back mid-stride, and slid to my knees beside him. "Oh Goddess, Rephaim! Please, wake up, respond, something!" Stevie Rae cried, squeezing his hand like both their lives depended on it.

Raising my hand gently, I placed my hand on the gash, not caring about the blood and closed my eyes. I could feel Stevie Rae look at me in question and I just shook my head. "Spirit, come to me, heal this boy of his wounds please," I whispered and felt the energy slowly drain from me and into Rephaim. I opened my eyes slowly and saw the gash mending itself under my hand…and then more. Rephaim's face relaxed from the grimace it was in and his eyes opened for a brief second before fluttering shut. "Thank you."

Figuring my job was done, I pulled my hand away and instantly felt dizzy. Before I slumped over, I noticed something on Rephaim's forehead. Oh, now there was just no way!

"JC, oh my Goddess you just…JC?" Stevie Rae asked and I fell back, only to be caught by my cousin I think.

"Zoey?" I asked weakly, my vision was already fading away again.

"Yeah?"

"When I wake up again…I'm really going to want breakfast."


	18. 2 In 1

**A/N: Happy belated Thanksgiving! I'm hoping to be really ambitious and _maybe_ get another chapter up tonight. Now that all the explanations are done and the action is starting to kick in, I'm not getting as much writers' block.**

**So a few things. For one, I am still doing the Erik/JC backstory if you all are still interested, it's just kind of on the back burner right now. I want to get the first part of here done before I think about anything else (yes, there is another part in a different fanfic story...actually there's another two). Two, I'm also closed to finishing the _Vampire Academy_ series and I have a couple story ideas for there as well...so if you read that series and you like my writing, check back every so often for those. In the meantime, if you like VA check out my friend EJ, she's the top review at the moment talking about milk.**

**And now shout outs since I'm too lazy/busy to use PM:**

**Otterly- Thanks :D, I was also a bit worried about writing from Stevie Rae's POV, so I'm glad you thought it was good. And don't think that I get bored with your reviews, I love them! And I hope you're feeling better!**

**HoNObsessed- Again, I gotta say thanks! I got quite a bit of people reading it seems, but not many people reviewing. I don't know, I think they're afraid I'll bite or something (which I promise, I don't do). And oh, well I knew the book would be called Hidden, but I didn't know that it'd be five minutes after...that's really cool!**

**Ukraine- Hope you don't mind the shortened name...just thanks for reviewing and you're about to find out ;)**

**EJ, it's only funny because I actually am out of milk. As is Japan, and for that matter...so is the Nerd Herd.**

**Disclaimer: Really, I'm only putting this because of the song lyrics. But no, I don't own House of Night no matter how much I want to and no matter how much I beg for it. The lawyers just are that good. The song JC sings a bit of is the opening to the song 'Heartlines' by Florence + The Machine. It's been my song obsession...and it's really good, I just don't own it.**

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><p><strong><span>Rephaim's POV<span>**

I knew attacking Dallas was not the best idea. I could not just stand around and allow him to threaten the people in the tunnels and call Stevie Rae such names, however, so I let my anger get the better of me. It was a simple mistake, one that should not have been made, but one that was understood.

I had knocked the vampyre to the ground as my first move and we stayed there the rest of the time. Rolling over countless branches and rocks, I felt my blows connect with him and his blows connect with me. By the end of it, I was positive I would have several bruises on my ribs and chest and my limbs would be scratched up. I was also positive that I had inflicted more damage to Dallas than he had done to me. I had taken the pain of Darkness and the occasional wrath of my father for centuries, the vampyre had hardly seen two decades, so it was safe to assume he was not accustomed to the punches.

The turning point of my fight was when I caught Jennifer out of my peripheral vision fighting as well. I had not expected that. The red fledglings did advance on her, but she could have just run away. Instead, she continued to fight as well, and I was grateful. Had she not taken some of the distraction away from me, this battle would have been much harder. Dallas more than likely caught my stupidity by being distracted and took his chance. Picking up a rock by our side, he slammed the object into the front of my head with shocking force.

I staggered backwards from shock and pain. The hit had left me dazed for certain and an electric throbbing radiated throughout my skull. Gripping my head and sinking to my knees, I could feel the warm liquid gushing from the wound over my hands and down my face. He had drawn a lot of blood.

Admittedly, it was not smart of me to lie down during the fight either, but I could not see straight, let alone form a logical thought or plan. All I knew was the pain in my head and the fuzzy visions of the others around me. Dallas got up and took two kicks at my ribs. "Fucking piece of bestial shit," he snarled at me and turned away.

I could do nothing but groan and let him walk away to leave me for dead. I should have gone after him for what he said, but it was not my honor that I was worried about, it was Stevie Rae's. And I could not have gotten up if my life depended on it; the hit was debilitating. I had let her down, I had let _all_ of them down. I was expected to protect Stevie Rae from any threat, someone like Dallas, but I could not do that and all were left to fight to protect themselves. _I am sorry_.

The thought of my failure was the only thing in my mind when I watched something truly spectacular happen. The girl I had just met transformed into a wolf and let out a piercing howl. The sound sent another wave of pain through my head, but it was the most beautiful sound I heard at that moment. Snarling and growling all the way, the wolf ran around, keeping the fledglings and Dallas away from me long enough to get the backup she called for.

"Dallas?" I heard Stevie Rae ask suddenly, then she must have seen me, "oh my Goddess, Rephaim!"

"Hello, Stevie Rae." _No! Stevie Rae, stay inside, don't come out! He's trying to kill you! I will be okay!_ I could only watch in horror as Dallas approached on my mate, who was running towards me. Then, the wolf girl I had known for five minutes before this started came to my aid again, barreling Dallas off of his path towards Stevie Rae at the last moment and pinning him to the ground.

I could not tell what happened after that since everyone else surrounded me and the blood loss was starting to take its full effect. Sounds were becoming even more muffled and it was becoming even harder to see. I could only comprehend Stevie Rae beside me crying and asking for some sort of response. I tried to give her one, a word or a movement, but my body would not cooperate; I could do nothing but lie on the ground with all of them around me.

The next thing I knew was feeling a presence beside me and a hand over the wound. It stung, and I suspected it to be Stevie Rae attempting to heal me with her element. Earth had helped me before, maybe it could now. Instead, I felt a new power surge through me, something that was definitely not Earth. Faintly, I heard the word 'Spirit' and understood. What I was feeling was the power of my father, in a sense. As an immortal, his true essence was the element of Spirit, an essence that he passed down to me. The power I was feeling was that of our element rushing through me and helping to restore me.

Feeling at least a bit more energized, I blinked my eyes open to find Jennifer above me, now changed violet eyes staring intently at my forehead. She looked strong and drained at the same time, and I realized she was the source of where this element was coming from. "Thank you," I muttered weakly before succumbing to the rest my body and the element was demanding I take.

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><p>When I opened my eyes again, I found myself sprawled out on a layer of grass. This most certainly was not where I was when I had been injured. So then, where was I exactly? That I didn't quite know yet, but it was something I would find out.<p>

"_Oh the river, oh the river it's running free. And oh the joy, oh the joy it brings to me. But I know it'll have to drown me, before it can breathe easy. And I've seen it in the flights of birds, I've seen it in you; the entrails of the animals, the blood running through. But in order to get to the heart, I think sometimes you'll have to cut through_," a song lilted in the air and I gently pushed myself off the ground to see where it was coming from. Apparently my movement caused the woman to notice, for she stopped singing and commented, "good, you're finally awake. I was starting to get worried that you weren't going to."

Following the voice, I turned around and found none other Jennifer behind me, sitting comfortably on a rather flat boulder. She was not wearing what I previously remembered her wearing either, instead she had on a long, black dress with a kind of cross like symbol made by purple and silver markings similar to her Mark. And the violet knotwork running over her forehead and cheekbones, forming wolves howling at the crescent and star was what truly captivated me, she did not have those eithers. "Those Marks…they were not there previously," I stated, it was the only thing I could think to say.

Jennifer smiled a bit and nodded, "concealer can cover up a Mark physically, but it can't cover up your soul."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, "we are not so physically in Nyx's Realm right now, meaning our bodies are with Zoey and Stevie Rae and the group, but spiritually we are here. Essentially, we're asleep in the physical world, and why we're here right now I don't know except that it _has_ to have something to do with you."

I was confused, "why would it have something to do with me?"

Jennifer studied me a moment in surprise, "you really don't remember what happened out there do you?"

"Of course I do," I responded, "you healed the gash on my forehead and protected Stevie Rae at a time when I could not. I owe you my sincerest gratitude."

"Yeah well, I added something else to your forehead too, so don't be giving me that gratitude yet," she said and when I only looked at her again, she pointed behind me, "go look at your reflection in the stream."

I turned back around and noticed the stream running behind me. Having no reason to distrust the girl, I did as she said and kneeled down beside the water, peering into its depths. Looking back at me was my reflection showing the outline of a violet crescent moon turned sideways and a star in its dip…an incomplete Mark _exactly_ like Jennifer's. I looked back to her, confused again, "I don't understand."

"Honestly, neither do I. When I healed you, I must have Marked you as well," she started to explain, getting off the boulder and walking to me, "or Spirit chose you to be Marked and I did its bidding. Honestly, I don't know what happened, but the point is that you're a Spirit fledgling now…so congratulations I guess?" she trailed off and shrugged. Obviously she didn't know what to think about this either.

I was Marked as a fledgling. I was Marked to become something similar to Stevie Rae. I wasn't just a human with an odd ability anymore, I was on my way to become a vampyre. The more I thought about this, the more I liked the idea. "How did you do this?"

"You want the honest truth?" she asked and smirked, "because honestly, I have no damn clue. I'm not a tracker, and the tracker that Marked me was a normal vampyre. So really, I'm just as confused and surprised as you are."

_"Spirit sometimes appears to have a mind of its own, doesn't it?"_ The question floated in the air for only a moment before its owner appeared in all of her nightly glory. Unsure of what else to do, I bowed deeply and said nothing. Speaking with the Goddess was still an idea new to me.

"Nyx," Jennifer bowed as well but then met her eyes with a smile, "yes, it would seem. Spirit is a very free element I am quickly learning," she agreed.

"_Rephaim, you may stand up,"_ Nyx told me and I did, looking into those black depths that shared the same warmth and love and forgiveness as the night she did forgive me. "_Mo Iníon, you do understand the importance of what you just did, correct?"_

"Well…I just Marked somebody as a fledgling without having any tracking abilities whatsoever," Jennifer nodded.

"_While that is true,"_ the Goddess agreed, "_there is more to it than that. Do you understand the situation that Rephaim is currently in?"_

She shook her head and I dared to speak up. "The Goddess has blessed me with her forgiveness and given me this form during the night, but in the day I am nothing but a raven with the most basic instincts as a punishment for my past," I explained.

"I knew that though," Jennifer commented, "but I'm not understanding the problem with that."

"_Whether intentional or not, you have Marked a Raven Mocker to be your first fledgling in your growing race,"_ Nyx answered.

"Ok…" she trailed off and something seemed to click together in her mind, "he wasn't supposed to be Marked, was he?"

"_I had no intentions of Marking Rephaim_," the Goddess said and smiled gently at me, "_it is nothing that I have against him, I am still wary of his past and of his father."_

"It isn't fair to judge someone by their parents' actions," Jennifer stated, "or by what their parents forced them to do. But wait, if you had no intentions of Marking Rephaim, how was he Marked…by me…a non-tracker?"

"_Spirit sometimes has a mind of its own,"_ Nyx restated and looked back to the girl, "_and sometimes it deviates from what I ask of it. With such depletion and you here, Spirit knew it needed to revive its race, and Rephaim is a candidate because of his blood."_

"So…Spirit is its own, separate being from you?" she asked. I was thinking the same thing, every vampyre blessed with an element was blessed by the Goddess, how could the elements go against the Goddess's wishes if they were part of her?

"_Every element is its own, separate being, though they are under me and bless my children based on my order, each one is separate from me and from each other,"_ Nyx explained, "_it is a very ancient magick belief that is not known very well in the modern world."_

"Ancient magick," I breathed, "the magick when my father ruled the Cherokee?"

"_Even before, Rephaim," _the Goddess answered, "_but this just brings me back to the reason you are both here. You are a Spirit fledgling, Rephaim, and Jennifer is your High Priestess,"_ Jennifer seemed to pale a bit at being called a High Priestess, "_but the issue here is your punishment."_

"Why can't he just keep his punishment then? Except be a fledgling at night instead of a human," Jennifer asked. It seemed a simple enough of an answer.

"_Sunlight, just as it does any vampyre, will bother him, even in a raven form."_

"So then…take away the punishment and make his guide animal the raven," she fixed her solution.

"_The guide animal is not enough of a punishment to atone for his sins,"_ Nyx stated.

"Then don't punish him for his father's sins," she said.

"This goes deeper than my father, Jennifer," I told her, "I deserve the punishment for my _own_ past sins."

"What about the theory of a werewolf?" Jennifer asked and I could only wonder where this was going, "but reverse. Like, make him turn into a raven for a full day on the full moon," she started to explain but realized what the full moon meant to the vampyres, "or for a full day on the new moon, and then make his guide animal the raven. That should give him enough to be driven nuts like I've been."

Nyx gave a gentle look to her daughter but said nothing about her last statement, "_that is not a bad idea. I take it then, that you stand beside your fledgling?"_

She nodded, "based on what I've heard, he has saved Stevie Rae countless times from death and saved me once. I stand by someone who does that, and I stand by him as my fledgling." My only thought was that she hardly knew me.

"_Loyalty,"_ the Goddess stated and smiled brightly, "_loyalty is another one of those qualities. Very well, I shall use your idea for your first fledgling, Jennifer, and now you both should be waking in your world. Blessed be, my children."_

Before I even got the chance to say anything, the world started fading around me and I was launched back into the dark.

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><p><strong><span>Zoey's POV<span>**

"Do we have milk down here?" I asked, walking around the makeshift kitchen looking for some food. JC said she would be hungry after…whatever it was that knocked her out _this time_…and after that wakeup call, I was pretty hungry myself. We didn't have much in the way of food, and we'd need to go shopping again with Aphrodite's credit card…or her parent's credit card as the case was.

"We have some in the thing we call a freezer I think," Stark responded and came up behind me, reaching over and opening the door to the little, metal box. He pulled out the carton we had and shook it a bit, "not much though."

"Thanks," I mumbled and grabbed the milk, gently brushing his hand in the process, "we need some serious shopping pretty soon. We're running low on everything."

"We'll get Aphrodite and her gold card right on that," he chuckled and grabbed a bowl from another part of the kitchen. He set it down in front of my cousin on the table and poured the cereal we had in the bowl for her. Yes, my passed out cousin was lying on the kitchen table…we didn't have another place to put her really.

"Occasionally Aphrodite and her money do come in handy," I joked and set the carton beside the bowl of cereal. I then set to work on making a sandwich (about the only thing we could make with the leftover ingredients) for myself.

"Yes, well," Stark mumbled and came over, wrapping his arms around my waist and placed a few kisses on my neck and exposed skin on my shoulder. Well, there goes my idea of making a sandwich.

Whatever else he was going to say was cutoff when I grabbed his neck and kissed him deeply. No, we probably shouldn't have been doing that in the kitchen with a passed out JC present, and the plan did kind of backfire on us.

"Ew guys…c'mon, seriously? This _is_ a kitchen where people have to eat and prepare food," her voice broke us apart and we both looked to see my cousin awake and looking at us, "and…for that matter really? A kitchen table was the best you could do? I mean, I'm usually not one to complain, but a bed would've been kinda nice," she added and wiped some drool off of her face and onto her sleeve. Ew.

"Sorry cuz, the red fledglings are still waking up, Stevie Rae is tending to Rephaim in their room, and Aphrodite, the Twins, and Damien are getting ready in their room," I explained.

"What about your room?" JC asked and poured the milk into the bowl, "but I do thank you for the food."

"You're welcome," I nodded.

"And you probably don't want to sleep in our bed after all the fun we had in it," Stark added with a smirk. I blushed at the thought of it.

JC immediately stopped pouring the milk and buried her head in her hands, "thanks…I'm forever mentally scarred now because of you," she said and mock glared at my Guardian.

"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth," he chuckled and raised his hands.

My cousin rolled her eyes and started eating, not having much else to say on the subject apparently. "So uh…what exactly happened this morning?" I asked to break the silence, sitting down at the table as well.

"In short terms, the red fledglings came here to attack you guys, found Rephaim and me and instead we started fighting. Something happened to injure Rephaim, so I healed him and apparently Marked him, we talked to the Goddess for a bit, and now I'm back," she explained and shrugged, "a pretty normal day," she added with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"So…Rephaim really was Marked then?" I asked.

"Meet my first fledgling," JC sighed and added in a way that sounded like those old, matchmaking game shows, "his guide animal is the raven and he will be a raven for a full day every new moon to keep his punishment alive."

Before I said anything else, a scream rang through the tunnels and both JC and I jumped from our seats. "Aphrodite," Stark stated, "she must be having a vision."

I nodded, "JC, grab a bottle of water and follow me," I ordered and she did as she was told. On the way to her room, I grabbed a towel and dumped some of the water on it. We got to her room pretty quickly, but the sight was still rather bad. Aphrodite was lying on her bed, bloodshot eyes staring at the ceiling and bloody tears rolling down her cheeks. Darius was by her bedside, holding her hand gently.

"I'm glad you heard," he said when we walked into the room, "it was bad this time."

"It's always bad," Aphrodite snapped, "please tell me you brought the wine."

"No, water," I said and gave her the towel and bottle.

"Damn it, Z, I always need something stronger than water!" she exclaimed but took three large gulps of the water and put the towel over her eyes anyway.

"It's not like there's any in the kitchen anyway," Stark mumbled under his breath.

Slowly, the rest of my circle began to fill into the room. They remained silent though, they knew what was going on and knew it was probably best to stay quiet, otherwise Aphrodite may have bitten their heads off. No, Aphrodite _would_ have bitten their heads off.

"Fuck. Zoey!" she groaned, "can you at least get the damn wine? It hurts like a bitch!"

"We don't have any!" I retorted and looked around the room. My eyes landed on my cousin and suddenly, I had an idea. "JC, why don't you try to heal her like you did Rephaim?"

She looked at me like I had a second head or something, "are you nuts? Rephaim's wound was physical, this is spiritual…religious…affinity related, I don't know but it isn't a physical wound Spirit can heal!"

"Aphrodite's powers are based off of Spirit and the Otherworld," I explained, "you have an extremely close connection to Spirit, maybe it will help."

"You know, as the blind Prophetess over here writhing in pain, I'm ready to try anything," Aphrodite added with her typical sarcasm.

"Ok, alright, we'll see what it does. I doubt it'll work, but who knows," JC shrugged and walked over to Aphrodite's other side. Gently, my cousin rested a hand on her forehead and focused on it, "Spirit, please take away the pain this Prophetess feels from her visions."

I watched in awe as the space underneath JC's hand glowed a bit. Aphrodite arched her back and screamed for only a moment before calming down. "Does it still hurt?" my cousin asked, hand still on her forehead.

"No…no it feels better," Aphrodite answered, relieved.

"Ok," she nodded and took her hand back. Then, she gasped, "oh Goddess, again?"

"What?" Aphrodite and I asked at the same time.

"Holy shit, Twin!" Erin exclaimed.

"Aphrodikey, you're Marked!" Shaunee finished and looked between her and Jenny, "the same way!"

I moved around JC and Darius blocking my vision and, sure enough, the violet outline of a crescent moon and star was there on Aphrodite's forehead.

"No, not again, not again!" JC grumbled and looking pale and drained, much like she had with Rephaim, stumbled back and steadied herself on the nightstand by the bed. "Bad hand, bad, _bad_ hand," she muttered and smacked the hand she used to heal Aphrodite.

"What the hell do you mean? What is going on?" Aphrodite shouted. Erin pulled out a compact mirror she had on her and handed it to Aphrodite. She flipped it open and her eyes went wide. "My Goddess," she breathed and gently touched the new Mark on her forehead, "I _have_ been Marked again," she added and, if I didn't know any better, I would swear I saw tears in her eyes.

"Wow JC, you're just pullin' miracles from everywhere!" Stevie Rae twanged.

"Miracles, yeah, miracles," my cousin agreed and shook her head, "how the hell does this keep happening?"

"If you don't mind, I think my Priestess and I would like a moment or two alone…so if you would please," Darius spoke up and motioned toward the door

"Yeah, yeah of course. C'mon guys, let's give them a few minutes alone," I agreed and made sure everyone got out. JC was trailing behind me and paused slightly at the doorway.

"When you two are ready, come find me," she ordered and looked at Aphrodite and Darius, "we have a couple things to figure out right now." And then she followed me silently back to the kitchen.

Sitting back down at the kitchen table, my cousin continued picking at her cereal absently. She certainly had to have a lot on her mind after that, and Rephaim, and it seemed there was even more to it than that.

"So High Priestess…" Stark said and sat down next to me, looking at my cousin.

"Don't even joke about that," JC snapped and looked up at us, "this…I'm still not even sure how this happened, let alone what to do now!"

"Well, Rephaim and Aphrodite both have unfilled Marks, you Marked them and your Mark is filled in. It more than likely means you have two, new fledglings and you are their High Priestess, welcome to the club," I explained.

"I know," she sighed and, pushing the bowl away from her, smacked her head on the table, "and you aren't helping any." We stayed silently for a moment or two before JC looked back up at me, totally serious, "we have a lot to discuss now."

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><p><strong>Just a small reminder, that little button down there likes to be pressed. And anonymous reviews are welcomed for anyone who doesn't have an account. And as always, reviews are loved!<strong>


	19. Future Plans?

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I got backed up with work, but I hashed both that and this out, and this is _really_ long to make up for it. So those of you that like long chapters, here you go ;). It's also not proof-read because I wanted to get this up...so sorry for the errors!**

**Oh my Goddess, you guys got me over 20 reviews! That was my secret goal for the moment, so thanks for that =D. Think you guys can get me to reach 30 before this is done? I'll give you all cookies if you do (virtual of course) ^.^!**

**Shout-outs then I'm done to let the story continue.**

**HoNObsessed- Thanks, glad you like. And that's the ultimate question, isn't it? Heh, sorry, I can't tell you...the answer will come eventually though, I promise :D.**

**afanofdawn and Amaliex3- Welcome to the madness! Glad you both like it and reviewed, it may not seem like it, but it really does mean a lot!**

**Nickki- Just 'cuz you asked, what the hell? I'll give you a shout out too! And this long chapter is for you!**

**Ookami- Hey! Nice to see you again lol! Glad to see you're still sticking with me!**

**Otterly- I know you didn't review, but I never PM'd you back. I will be seeing EJ tomorrow and I will tell her to look. She already said she would, she just wasn't sure if you wanted her to or not...and I'm slow, but I'll be on it tomorrow!**

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><p><strong><span>Aphrodite's POV<span>**

I was Marked. I was Marked during a vision…by JC, so I was Marked like her and Rephaim. I was a fledgling again, a Spirit fledgling, but a fledgling. I was fucking Marked!

"My beauty, are you alright?" Darius asked, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the crescent on my forehead, even for him.

"The Goddess didn't forget about me," I whispered.

"Of course she didn't," he responded, "you were always special to her, you always retained your affinity."

"Yeah, but Goddess given affinities don't just disappear, she doesn't take them away," I muttered and shook my head, "I was only human then…but now, I'm back to being a fledgling."

Darius smiled and pulled me into his arms, "this is what you have really wanted all this time?"

"Aside from you, yes, I just know now that the Goddess is willing to allow me back on her path," I sighed and looked at the opening we called a door, "I also realize this means I'm a fledgling to a girl three years younger than me."

"JC is strong and wise and is doing her best to learn about the race, I believe you will be able to follow her well," he spoke, "and you were following Zoey."

I only sighed again and nodded, "she said to meet her when we were ready, right?"

"Are you ready?" he asked and looked me over, "you aren't in any pain or anything?"

I smiled at him, "Spirit is a hell of a lot stronger than wine apparently. JC healed me well enough that I don't feel anything."

"And you have settled enough?"

"I know you're worried about me," I said and got up to go towards the door, "but don't be, hotness, I'm fine from the Mark…it was just surprising as fuck."

"It wasn't JC Marking you that I was referring to," Darius stated but followed me, "it was the vision. Do you want to talk about it?"

Right…the fucking vision. Pain, that was the theme of the vision, just as much others. Pain because it was one of those damn visions where I was _in_ the victim. "I'm alright, and everyone needs to hear this, I'll talk about it then," I stated and walked to the horrid thing we called a kitchen. Only, no one was there but Damien, and he was walking away.

"Damien!" I called and yes, I used his real name. I may be a proud bitch, but I'm not cruel enough to torment the boy after what happened to Jack. He turned back to look at us, "where is everyone?"

"We're all going up to the basement," he answered and patted the laptop, "we need internet connection apparently," he shrugged and went back.

"Why the hell do we need connection?" I asked and sighed, "fine, whatever…let's go."

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

"I agree to that," Zoey nodded and sat down across from me. "Where do you want to start?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Where _should_ I start? There's so much," I sighed and stared blankly at the rock wall ahead of me for a moment. Where did I start, fledglings? Neferet? What the High Council said? What I told Lenobia and somewhat Gwen? Okay, no, maybe not that, Lenobia, the one who wasn't for secrets, didn't want that spread until we knew exactly what that was. But still, there was _so much_. My leg started bouncing nervously and suddenly, I felt very constrained.

"Why don't ya start with what Neferet told you?" Stevie Rae asked, stepping into the kitchen, followed by Damien and the Twins. Well the whole circle and me were here now. This was probably a good thing.

"How's Rephaim?" I asked instead, biding some time. I was also curious to know if he had woken up yet and genuinely worried if he was alright. I knew Aphrodite would be okay, I mean, we both stayed _conscious_ during that…the former Raven Mocker was different.

"He'll be alright," she twanged but I still saw the concern in her eyes, "he's not awake, but he's got a steady breath and there ain't no blood. You healed him right good, JC, thanks for makin' him okay."

"Not a problem," I shrugged, "just healing a gash on his head in a way that I didn't think would actually work," and I really didn't know if it would work or not at the time, "the extra stuff wasn't exactly meant to happen."

"None the less, he's ok thanks to you," she said, "I owe you."

"You owe me nothing," I laughed, "it's just what I do after he saved me from the fledglings."

"Yeah…but still…" Stevie Rae mumbled and I just shook my head.

"In any sense, if you wanna know what happened between me and Neferet, it wasn't much. After First Hour yesterday, and you left, she talked to me about Darkness. She essentially offered me to join her for the power. I said no and left," I explained briefly with a shrug. In a nutshell, that's what it was.

"It seems like Neferet is becoming increasingly desperate," Damien mused.

"She knows Zoey and I are cousins," I somewhat agreed. Of course, I knew the _real_ reason as to why…and I felt a tad guilty that I couldn't…er _wouldn't_ share why right off the bat, "so maybe she just wants me away from Zoey ASAP."

"Yeah, but still, it was your first day," Z sighed, "it was so soon…are you sure there's nothing else?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. And a quiet, menacing voice in the back of my mind whispered the one word I didn't want to hear. _Liar._ I could conceal emotions, I was a good liar…it didn't mean that when I lied it didn't tear me apart, especially when it was to my own family.

"Well one thing's for sure," Stevie Rae sighed, "with the new fledglings you have…Neferet's gonna have a cow."

I ran a hand over my face. "They have to go to school there," I muttered and looked at all of them, "I mean…we'll talk to them when they actually wake up and are here, but they have to go to the House of Night. They have every right."

"And the High Council granted Rephaim that right and Aphrodite already went back," Stark pointed out, "so I don't see why you're worrying."

"They need different classes, just like I do," I shook my head, "and they…and I mean especially Rephaim, how is the rest of the school going to react to Rephaim coming back as a fledgling? And both of them, I was weird enough…now there's two fledglings?" I sighed, my thoughts were going a mile a minute again.

"JC, they're both older than you and have been through it before," Stevie Rae responded, "well…maybe Rephaim hasn't been through it before, but the point is they'll be able to handle themselves in the shit pot that's being stirred out there."

I met the red High Priestess's eye and instantly knew she would understand my next statement, "yeah, and I agree Stevie Rae, I trust them that they'll be able to do it. But they're still _my_ fledglings to a race that hasn't previously existed in the modern world. I'm responsible for them, I'm a High Priestess now apparently, whether I like it or not, and I'm sure as hell not going to let Neferet near them like she's been coming at me. They deserve and probably need the time away from that after what happened, especially Rephaim."

Understanding on more levels than just what I was trying to convey crossed her eyes. "You need to protect them."

"At least until I figure out what's going on with this new race," I nodded and turned back to everyone else, "which, speaking of these classes and the High Council, I need to mention that too. After you guys left, Thanatos and Duantia talked to me. Essentially what they determined was that I need to talk with this Queen Sgiach everyone is talking about and who I still don't know…you have a way to do that oh cousin of mine?" I asked.

"The High Council wants you to talk to Queen Sgiach?" Damien asked in surprise, "I always assumed the queen was blasphemous to them."

"Blaspha what?"

"Emous who?" the Twins asked.

"It means offensive or not proper, and she is," I agreed, "but she also apparently put in a bid to reopen her isle to be a House of Night again. The High Council doesn't have any reason to deny her request, she has followed by their rules and they hers," I explained, "and since she is Queen Sgiach, she has been around and was great friends with some of my race."

"I think we can get something," Zoey commented then looked to the boy standing behind me, "Damien, do you still have your laptop?"

"It's in my room," he nodded.

"Good, then can you get it and meet us up in the depot basement so we have connection?"

"Not a problem," Damien said and went back to his room. The rest of us followed Zoey and Stark out of the kitchen and up into the depot.

"So, what's your plan here?" I asked once we sat down.

"I'm going to e-mail Sgiach to see if we can set up a video chat now," Zoey explained, "I'm surprised she's willing to open a House of Night."

"Didn't she tell you she wanted to reopen Skye while we were there?" Stark asked, coming back from checking out the door. Typical alpha male, has to check and make sure all of us women are safe. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Granted, he was the one protecting my cousin, so I should probably be at least semi-grateful.

"She did, but it's really quick, we only left two days ago," my cousin shrugged, "but Goddess does two days ago feel like a life time."

"Two days ago, Jack was still alive," Shaunee muttered.

"Two days ago we were planning Zoey's welcome home party," Erin agreed, just as quiet.

Jack, the lovable, wise fledgling I met in my dream. He should still be alive. I felt the desire to tell them about the dream I had last night, but a pang, like a hit to the stomach, knocked all of the air out of me and I decided against it. "In the blink of an eye," I sighed instead, "everything can change in the blink of an eye," I agreed and stared at the wall across from me a moment. It was one of those moments of clarity where you could just feel each and every one of us had our own experiences with that knowledge.

"Here's my laptop, Z," Damien announced, coming up into the basement being followed by Aphrodite and Darius.

"What the fuck is going on?" Aphrodite demanded and looked at me, "you told me to find you when we were ready! You were supposed to be in the kitchen."

"Yeah I did, and you still found me," I shrugged, "we're going to attempt to talk to Queen Sgiach apparently."

"Why?" she asked and, looking around, decided to stay standing. I suppose sitting on the ground wasn't worth ruining her clothes.

"Because it's what the High Council suggested…" I was cut off by Aphrodite interrupting again.

"You're already going to start listening to those stuck up bitches?"

I held up my hand, "well, aside from the fact that they _do_ govern the entire vampyre society, what they said made sense. Queen Sgiach was alive and good friends with the Spirit vampyres during their time, she has information on them that Lenobia or anyone else here doesn't have. The fact that Zoey and Stark, as well as you two, have been to her isle, it would make sense to contact her at the very least," I explained and turned to my cousin, who was typing away, "how's it going?"

"The e-mail is sent…they should still be awake over there, so hopefully we'll get a response rather soon," Zoey said and smiled.

"That seems entirely logical," Darius nodded, "especially since Zoey and the queen have good ties."

"So…is this all you wanted to talk to me about?" Aphrodite asked.

I snorted, "I just _Marked_ you. Queen Sgiach is the honestly the _least_ of my worries. First and foremost, how are you feeling? Rephaim hasn't even woken up yet, but I know why that is, or can at least assume so, and Stevie Rae said he was okay. You two had different processes with this so…" I trailed off and shrugged.

"After the fuck-tastic vision I had, I actually feel alright," Aphrodite answered, "Spirit's a lot stronger than wine."

"Yeah, I'd imagine so," I chuckled, "so…if you're feeling alright then I guess I shouldn't be worried about strange side effects or you immediately rejecting the Change, that's a good thing," she snorted at that, "what about your guide animal…do you know what that is?"

"How the hell would I know?"

"I'm gonna take that as a no then," I sighed, "and really…I don't know. I mean, I've had my power for a while and I knew my connection almost instantly. We all develop differently, so it'll probably be different for you too."

"Great…so when I just turn into some beast…"

"I don't think it'll happen like that," I chuckled and looked at her, "and don't use the term beast…it's not only bad to me, but bad to you too."

"How? I'm just speaking the truth," she responded.

"No, it's a degrading and common misconception about animals since they are not actually bestial," I explained gruffly, "and since all three of us have guide _animals_ of some sort, calling them beasts is like calling us beasts."

She let out a long, suffering sigh and rolled her eyes, "whatever. So, what else do you have to tell me? New information, what am I, what do I do, etc. etc."

"I…don't know," I admitted, "I hardly know what _I_ am, let alone the fact that I now have two fledglings that just magically came about in a way I don't know of how it happened. Look, I'll talk to Lenobia about this when I get back to the House of Night and relay the information when I get a chance, alright?" I decided.

Aphrodite snorted again, "you plan so well, you know that?"

I grinned teasingly at her, "winging it and making stuff up as I go along, it's what I do."

"I feel so safe," she muttered and rolled her eyes.

"I know," I sighed, "but seriously…I promise that…" I trailed off as my cousin cussed just a bit at the computer. "Zoey!" I exclaimed, eyes wide, "did you just say shit?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that," she mumbled and blushed, looking at the computer and pressing a few buttons.

"Well damn," Aphrodite exclaimed, "the fucking apocalypse is coming!"

"Isn't it already?" I asked wryly and cocked a brow.

"We're preventing it," Stevie Rae twanged, "and it ain't so bad to not swear, Aphrodite. What's wrong, Z?"

"Queen Sgiach e-mailed back, I'm trying to set up Skype…it isn't working too well," my cousin admitted embarrassedly.

"Here," Damien said and scooted next to her. A few buttons pushed later and a face popped up on the screen. "That's all you need," he smiled and got out of the shot. Well, video conference two here we go.

"Zoey Redbird," the woman smiled and I could detect the slightest bit of a Scottish accent, "merry meet. I must admit, I did not expect to be hearing from you so soon."

"Queen Sgiach," Zoey beamed and bowed awkwardly, "merry meet. Well, I didn't mean to be talking to you so soon, but there's been some things that have happened since we left."

"Oh? It has only been a couple days, has it not?" the queen asked.

"It has but…it's been chaotic to say the least," my cousin responded, "the fledgling, Jack Twist, his funeral pyre turned pretty bad rather quickly and then things just got out of hand."

"To say the least," Stevie Rae sighed then shut her lips tight, eyes going wide as she realized she spoke aloud.

"Are you with others, Zoey?" Sgiach asked.

"Um…well yeah," she nodded, "obviously you know Stark, Aphrodite, and Darius, they're all here. And my circle is here, the girl that just spoke is Stevie Rae Johnson, she's the first red High Priestess and has an affinity for Earth. The two girls over there are Erin Bates and Shaunee Cole, affinities for Water and Fire respectively, and he's Damien Maslin having an affinity for Air. He also was Jack's mate," Zoey introduced everyone Sgiach didn't know quickly.

The queen looked at each of them and stopped and smiled sympathetically at Damien, "I am so sorry for your loss, it must be hard. Jack is with the Goddess though, he will find his way back to you, whether in this life or another."

"Thank you, Queen Sgiach," Damien said respectively, "it is hard, but the thought that we will eventually be together again is what keeps me going." Even as he said it though, I glanced at the boy and could see the torment and pain in his eyes. You don't just get over a death like that, even when the Goddess comes and tells you it's alright. I sent a silent prayer to Nyx and my element, _along with Aphrodite and Rephaim, please stay close to Damien as well._ I got a response as my soul fluttered just a bit.

"While I appreciate and enjoy meeting your circle Zoey, I feel there is more to what you have to say than that," Sgiach commented and turned back to my cousin.

"Actually, the reason I contacted you urgently is because of my cousin Jennifer Connolly," she answered and I squished into the shot as well, "she um…well she was Marked yesterday with a really different Mark."

"_Sùgach coinnich_, merry meet Jennifer, but I apologize, I do not see your Mark," Sgiach nodded to me.

"_Fáilte romhat, níl a bhuiochas ort, sùgach coinnich_," I responded in broken Gaelic, grinning stupidly anyway. Goddess did this language take me back. Grandma Connolly had taught me just enough of it to be understood and be polite and I loved to use it whenever I got the chance. It made me feel closer to her and my ancestors and heritage, it's hard to explain but speaking in Gaelic almost gave me a rush. "And I don't…" I trailed off and smacked my forehead. I did know why. "Right, sorry, my concealer," I sighed and looked around a moment, trying to find something to wipe it off with. I was in a basement, so obviously I didn't find anything. Well, that's why we had hands! I rubbed the stuff on my forehead and wrists off then wiped it on the ground for lack of anything better to do with it, "that's better."

Queen Sgiach actually took in a breath. "That Mark…" she muttered, "you have the Mark of a…"

"Spirit vampyre," I finished with her and nodded, "so I've been told."

"I never thought I'd live to see this day," she breathed, "I never thought I'd see them…you return. Tell me, are you the only one?"

"Well…not anymore," I answered, "two fledglings have been Marked today," I explained and glanced at Aphrodite. Taking a cue that I didn't _actually_ mean for her, she walked over to the shot and shouldered Stevie Rae out of the way.

Despite her behavior, Sgiach's lips twitched into a bit of a smile, "a Prophetess as a Spirit fledgling, I should not be surprised. Who is your second?"

"A boy…still asleep, I suppose you could say, from the Marking," I said. Well that was the best way I could put it.

"Complications?"

"Not complications," I said quickly and spared a glance to Stevie Rae to assure her, "it's just, time to adjust. I'm fairly certain I know why he's still unconscious, which is a rather long explanation and he was in a fight right before his Marking, so I'm sure that's not helping any either." And after some thought, I did have a feeling I knew why Rephaim was unconscious…that dream thing helped a lot.

"Fair enough, does he have a connection with the element, much like Aphrodite does?" Sgiach asked. She turned from being surprised to business quickly…that surprised me.

That I didn't know. I shrugged and looked to Zoey and Stevie Rae…they'd have a better idea than I did. "His father is an immortal," Zoey spoke up.

"This does sound like a long explanation," the queen agreed, "but the answer then is yes, he does have a connection, much like I expected."

"You…expected?" I asked.

"Jennifer…I don't know how much you know or understand about your race's past…" Sgiach paused, like she was expecting me to answer.

"Call me JC, it's easier to say. And well, I know essentially next to nothing, I know about the slaughter that ended them…us, but that's pretty much it," I admitted and shrugged, "let's just say the whole thing…for _all_ of us, is a new thing."

"Yes, it is a new thing for much of the world. Do you have anyone where you are to help you, as in they know what you are?" she asked.

"Well…not someone like you…but our Horse Mistress, Lenobia, has some knowledge. She is great friends with a historian named Daniel Kier…he apparently…"

"Say no more," Sgiach interrupted me, "I know Daniel Kier very well. He actually came to me once or twice for his research, it's a shame his work was put down as it was. Lenobia? The strong hearted woman with a passion for horses and what's right? She is at the Tulsa House of Night?"

"How do you know Lenobia?" Zoey asked the question that was probably on everyone's mind.

"I do not actually know Lenobia, Daniel just spoke very fondly of her when he was on my isle doing research," she answered.

"Huh, interesting," I muttered, "um…anyway yeah, she's here, she's actually my mentor. She's given me a bit of information and she's helping me research."

"That is good," Sgiach nodded, "and I assume the High Council will be notified of this as well?" she asked, the slightest hint of distaste in her voice.

"They know," Zoey spoke for me, "and Duantia and Thanatos were the ones to suggest contacting you about this. They also said you put in your bid to reopen a House of Night?"

The distaste turned into a bit of a grin, "that I did. Actually, I just received the nod to allow me to reopen the isle, and with what you just told me, I think I understand why now. Aside from Markings on Skye and the northwestern coast of Scotland, they're allowing me up to 100 transfers from other House of Nights for now."

The High Council, Sgiach, opening Skye, it was like everything was falling into place for us. It was almost coincidental, but things are hardly coincidences when it came to the vampyre world. Nyx was smiling down on us. "What would you say to three Spirit fledglings to add to your transfers?" I asked suddenly, falling out of my thoughts.

"I would say that is a wonderful idea," the queen responded, her wise grin turning to me.

"JC," Zoey spoke up and I looked to see matching faces of shock, "don't you think we need a chance to talk and think this through?" she asked quietly.

"Well…I…um…" Nope, didn't think about that.

"Your Highness," Aphrodite said and looked at the computer, "if you wouldn't mind, my apparent High Priestess has momentarily lost her mind. If we could talk to you later…"

"It is a big change and opportunity and something you should discuss among yourself," Sgiach agreed and nodded, "I will give you the time you need to discuss this. Zoey, please let me know what you decide as soon as you can. For now, I shall leave you, blessed be all, and I hope to be in contact soon," she said and the computer screen blooped off.

"Are you nuts? You have to be nuts! To suggest something like that, you have to be fucking insane," Aphrodite yelled at me, throwing her hands in the air.

"Not really…" I started but was stopped by other people talking.

"JC, did you put any thought into this whatsoever? I can't believe this, but I'm actually agreeing with Aphrodite here, you can't do that," Zoey told me.

"Will you just…"

"You can't just leave all your duties here. Nyx put you here for a reason," Stevie Rae added, "can't leave that."

"Ok, everyone just shut up!" I shouted and sighed when that seemed to work, "will you all just hear me out for one minute? All of you, you do realize that I, as well as Aphrodite and Rephaim, are three fledglings to a race never seen before in the modern world? And you do realize that even Lenobia can't give me the kind of experience that the queen could? Sgiach has _first-hand_ experience with our race and can give us the explanations and help we need far beyond anyone here," I explained.

They all seemed to think about this for a moment. "Ok yeah, I think we all get that, but JC, do you realize that we are in the middle of a war with Darkness here? I've been to Skye, I know what it's like there…and it's safe there, a place where Neferet couldn't get us and a place that you don't want to leave," Zoey responded.

I sighed, "yeah, based on what you said, I know that. But I also know that you won't make that mistake twice, and if for some reason I lose sight of what I'm doing, I know you'll pull me back."

"Wait, just how many of us did you intend on bringing?" my cousin asked.

I looked around a moment at everyone and shrugged, "all of you guys here…and I guess the red fledglings too since they'd kinda need to."

"Yup, JC has just jumped off the deep end, you're fucking insane."

I rolled my eyes, "Stevie Rae, think about it. If we were to do this, would you really want Rephaim to go alone with just me and Aphrodite?" I asked and turned to her.

"Well…no," she admitted.

"And if you were to go, the fledglings would have to go with you," I explained and turned to Darius, "and if Aphrodite would go, surely you would go as well."

"That is correct," he nodded.

"That's over half the people already," I commented and looked back to my cousin.

"In a theoretical situation," Damien pointed out.

"That is fucking insane."

"Would you stop saying that?" I shouted at Aphrodite and ran a hand through my hair, "_I_ am not the one who is insane here. The one who is insane here is Neferet. She's like Darkness personified and it's creepy as hell, and in case you haven't noticed, she's out there to kill you all. I mean, I've been here for two days and I know that."

"So you're saying-"

"We should run away?" the Twins asked.

That explained it. Zoey and Stevie Rae's comments made sense when I put it with the Twins' comment. They really thought…wow. "No!" I exclaimed quickly, "by the Goddess no, I'm not saying we should run away from the fight. I'm saying we should learn _how_ to fight."

"And now you've gone and lost me," Stevie Rae sighed. Everyone else seemed to agree with her on that.

"Ok, look, I know what you guys have all done. I know that Zo, you're great with your circle and the elements, and I know each of you are great with your individual elements, and I can assume that Stark and Darius are extremely competent Warriors," I stated and looked at each one in turn and each one nodded, "but let's face the facts here. We're all only teenagers or young adults, and the guidance from Nyx we receive can only go so far when she believes in free will. This fight that we're facing here with Neferet, it's physical, political, magickal, and spiritual, and I'll be the first one to admit that I don't know how to fight in each and every one of those aspects. Queen Sgiach, based on what I've been told, can help with all of that. She's a Warrior, and has an isle full of Warriors, so we got the physical aspect down. She's a queen, so she has the political aspect down even if she and the High Council aren't on the best of terms. She managed to break away from them, which shows some political prowess, and the High Council still begrudgingly respects her, as evident with what they told me. Zoey, you're the one that told me that Skye holds ancient magick _and_ that Sgiach is quite old, so that covers the magickal aspect and even the spiritual aspect if you think about all she's been through," I explained and smirked at the play on words with spiritual, "in both aspects if you _really_ want to think about it. But anyway, my point here is this. I know for a fact that I'm not going down in this fight easily, like I told Neferet, I'll fight against her until my dying breath. I know what the Goddess has brought me here for and I'm willing to do all of that and more. But I also recognize the fact that in order to win this, we're going to need as much help as we can get, the Spirit vamps especially, and if Queen Sgiach and the High Council are _both_ willing, then I'm going to take it in order to learn how to protect and be what I need to be for my fledglings _as well as_ fight for Light and protect vampyres, fledglings, and humans alike," I finished.

With my little speech/explanation done, everyone just stared at me in shock. Oh crap, how far had I just stepped out of bounds? I only let out a slight sigh of relief when Damien cracked a grin and nodded to me.

"Very valid points put in a very eloquent manner," he stated, "that was spoken as a true High Priestess, JC, don't ever doubt yourself in that."

"You're still fucking insane," Aphrodite said but smiled just a little bit, "but it's a damn good fucking insane, and I don't give that out as a compliment very much."

"Um…well thanks I guess," I replied warily and looked at everyone else, "do you at least understand where I'm coming from?"

"I think we all get where you're comin' from JC," Stevie Rae nodded, "and you bring up some dang good points, like Damien said. And I think maybe all of us are willin' to give it a try, but it ain't gonna be easy."

"I never said it would be," I agreed, "but I think with the right amount of cunning we can do it. Of course," I paused and looked at my cousin, who had yet to say anything, "that's if what Zoey thinks is best since, well, she is the leader here."

She sighed, "I agree with what you said, and I would _love_ to go back to Skye. But what about what's going on here?"

"What about what's going on here?" I asked back and shrugged, "Neferet's a crazy bitch, but I think her intentions have changed since you last sent me word of your life. The last I knew, she wanted to seclude herself and the vampyre world from the human world…but now, that's changed. Based on what you've told me, and what I've seen, she's hell bent on destroying you. As scary and disturbing as that sounds, I agree Stark," I said because he didn't have to say anything with the look on his face, "it's the truth. Going back to Skye not only throws a curveball at her since she isn't expecting it, it throws a wrench into her plans because she can't get to you."

"Yeah…but all the people here…"

"You were gone for how long on Skye previously? Everyone survived…" I stopped the moment I said that and bit my lip, closing my eyes. Jack. "I'm sorry," I said quietly into the silence that followed my statement. I think apologizing was the only thing that could be done.

"And that's exactly my point," Zoey said just as quietly. The air grew heavy with the knowledge and or memory of what happened, "I don't know if I can leave again after that."

"Zoey," Damien spoke up and we all turned to him. He looked hurt and sad again, and I sent up another silent prayer to Nyx and my element, like I had done previously. I noticed that Spirit responded and Damien noticed too, he gave me a small smile then continued. "What happened to Jack is wretched and painful, but it can't keep us from doing what we need to do. With what happened, I think those of us that know, and I mean _really_ know, are more prepared now because of it. If you feel we need to do this, then let's do it, Jack would want us to, as would everyone else truly on our side."

"And the people here," I added, "they know what to look for and what to do. Lenobia and maybe Dragon as well are going to do everything they can. And whether you know it or not, some of the student body is with you. Gwen is a powerful ally with her telepathy, Maggie is with us all the way and she's a fighter. Luke is a pretty gifted fencer and Zane, no matter how much grief he gets about it, does strike me as pretty bad ass. Harley, well he's pretty knowledgeable and loyal. And not in that group, you've got Cole who can kick some ass with his boxing…"

"I get the point, JC," Zoey stopped me, "there are people here that you truly believe can hold the fort down."

"That truly _can_ hold the fort down," I corrected her, "I _know_ they can."

"You've got a hell of a lot of confidence in these people who you've known for all of two days," Stark commented.

I smiled, not breaking eye contact with Zoey. She knew what I was going to say and smiled too. "I have confidence and faith in everyone that gives me reason to believe in them. They've given me a reason to believe in them, it's as simple as that," I explained.

"Fair enough. Then my insane in a good way cousin, how do you intend on getting Neferet to let us out of here?" Zoey asked and we all, except for Aphrodite, chuckled at her comment.

"Well, I figured some of it out," I started, "with me, and now Aphrodite and Rephaim, the High Council _wants_ us to be with Sgiach. Neferet can't logically go against that, so that gets three of us out. In addition, it gets Darius out since he's Aphrodite's Warrior and it gets Stevie Rae out since she's Rephaim's mate and will more than likely be his Priestess by the end of this week. With Stevie Rae going, the red fledglings have to go too, otherwise they'd be without a High Priestess. That just leaves you and the rest of the circle, which I haven't finished thinking through yet," I explained.

We all fell into a contemplative silence. I stared at my Marked wrist and I felt like it had the answer, I just couldn't connect how. Luckily, Aphrodite did.

"Charges!" she exclaimed and we all looked at her expectantly, "Zoey and Stark are your Charges. We know as much about that and what it deals with compared to all the rest of the shit. It would make sense that they'd come along too so we all know what it means."

"Aphrodite, you're a genius!" I chuckled.

She grinned smugly and flipped her hair back, "I've got the beauty and the brains. Be jealous."

I rolled my eyes but continued on, "and if Zoey goes…then the circle should go too. Let's just say, extremely gifted fledglings deserve to get better teaching than what's here. And if that doesn't work, I'm sure Sgiach would always be happy to invite them," I said and grinned slyly.

"Definitely," Zoey agreed, matching my grin, "so do we all agree that we want to go to Skye?"

The collective response was yes and I smiled, glancing out the window in the basement. I noticed the light in the sky and sighed a bit, "I need to be getting back soon. Anything else to talk about?"

"My vision," Aphrodite stated and everyone got quiet, "and it's something you need to hear JC."

I swallowed, this wasn't good. "Why do I need to hear it?" I asked warily.

"It's about your roommate."

"Gwen?" I shrieked, any good feeling of what just happened gone now. What could possibly happen to Gwen?

"No, no the other one," she answered and waved her hand at me, "brown hair…"

"Maggie," I said again, "her name is Maggie, what happened?"

"See, I wouldn't know…I don't follow or know those lesbos," Aphrodite sighed.

I glared at her, "too far, way too far in this situation."

She looked like she was about to defend herself but then dropped it. Something in my eye probably warned her not to press it. "Alright, anyway, in my vision I was in the person, and let me just say I fucking hate those visions. But yeah, I was in Maggie in this one and I didn't know much…just that there were big, dark shadows everywhere and I was running and screaming. It was a short vision, but it ended badly. I, meaning Maggie, had something that felt like it tore through my back and I fell to the ground in front of the girls' dorm. Whatever it was, it was powerful enough to kill her, and kill her quickly," she explained.

And now, it was quiet again. Thousands of thoughts were whirling around in my mind. "I gotta go," I said hurriedly and hopped to my feet, pulling my phone out in the process. "I have to get back, I have to talk to them now. Everything else is decided right?" I asked, feeling really frantic and looking at them all.

"Yeah, everything else is decided," Zoey nodded, "go, get back there."

I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, speed dialing Gwen on my phone. Yes, I had her number now and boy was I ever thankful. She picked up on the first ring, "hi JC, what's up?"

"No time for answers," I said quickly, "gather the group and go to the stables, I'll meet you there. If Lenobia asks, just tell her I told you to go there alright? We have a lot to talk about," I explained in a rush. Goddess only knew when that vision would come true.

"What's going on? You're kind of freaking me out," Gwen said worriedly.

"I'll explain when I get back, just please do it alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah sure, I'll see you there," she agreed.

"Bye," I nodded and hung up. I looked back to see that most everyone that was there a few moments ago went back down to the basement. Only Zoey and Stark remained.

"I don't want to hold you up," Zoey said, "I just wanted to tell you that Mom's funeral, yes a funeral because that's what John wanted, is on Monday afternoon."

Some rational part of my brain must have still been working. "Ok, good, so it'll just be you and me then?" I asked, itching to get back to the House of Night.

"Why would you assume it was just you two?" Stark asked, sounding somewhat offended.

"Because it's in the afternoon, during daylight," I stated, "you burn in the sun Stark, clearly that's not good for you. Ok, whatever, you two decide this with yourselves and call me later tonight or tomorrow. I _have_ to get back, and oh, tell Stevie Rae to call me when Rephaim wakes up if he hasn't already. I'll see or hear from you tomorrow," I added when I noticed that my comment was about to spark an argument.

Without waiting for a response, I literally ran out the basement door and took flight the moment I was a bird. I forgot to put my concealer back on, but at that moment it didn't matter, I could get high enough in the sky that people wouldn't notice anyway. The only thought I knew was the fact that I had to get back to the House of Night.


	20. It's Like SWAT

**A/N: Hey all, it's my weekly update time, so here it is. Hm...I don't really have much to say here. Um...the ending does serve more of a purpose than is originally seen at the moment. It's a little bit graphic just as a warning, but it isn't bad at all, nothing over a T rating I swear.**

**Not a lot of shout-outs this time, just a thanks to Ukrainian and Otterly for the reviews and constructive criticism. Thanks guys!**

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><p><strong><span>Gwen's POV<span>**

I hung up with JC and looked around my room, trying to make sense of what exactly it was that just happened. The tone of her voice was just so urgent…and I'll admit it, I was a bit scared. Even though we knew each other for all of two or three days, she'd never been like that before. Something happened, it had to have.

Remembering that I promised I would get everyone and go to the stables, I closed _Eragon_ and got out of bed. I was half way out the door when I heard a whimper and turned back to see three pairs of animal eyes looking back at me. "It was JC, she wants to meet with us," I explained. Quinn was up and by my side immediately, Oreo was soon after her. Quinn and Duchess seemed to have a little…well…chat I guess (I don't have the animal powers). Quinn gave one bark and then Duchess got up and followed me out as well.

It was probably a bit odd to see me walking through the halls of the dorm with two dogs and a cat following me. I snickered just a bit as I realized this was probably what JC felt like a lot of the times, especially now. Anyway, leading the small parade I had through the halls, I went over to Maggie's room and banged on the door. I knew she had gone out to Tulsa in order to get some supplies for Belle, and she didn't want me going because she wanted to prove she would be able to take care of her cat herself. And now I was really hoping she was back.

"C'mon Mags, it's me, open up!" I called, not thinking about her roommate being in too.

Finally, the door opened when I was in mid-swing to hit it again and my girlfriend stood there, smirking at me. "You know…I never imagined _you_ would be coming to _me_ for this."

I rolled my eyes at the implication. "That isn't why I'm here. Look, JC just called, she wants all of us to meet at the stables," I explained.

"Why?" Maggie asked and the little gray and white fluff ball appeared on her feet.

"I don't know, she said there was no time for answers. It was pretty urgent, so something must have happened," I explained with absolutely no answer for her.

"Oh, ok well," she paused and gathered Belle in her arms. The kitten squeaked (which was totally adorable), "let's get the guys and get going then."

I nodded and we left to get over to the boys' dorm. Curfew was fast approaching, but it wasn't there yet so we were still allowed over there. And hopefully, we would make it to the stable by the time so Lenobia could vouch for us when we went back after curfew. We were lucky that way, both Luke and Harley were in their room (they were roommates) and they came with relative ease. Zane for that matter came easily, but we had to search half of the dorm before we found him in the kitchen eating...something we probably should have thought of from the start.

As we were heading towards the stables, I looked back out our little group and smirked for two reasons. For one, this had to have been the most interesting group _ever_. You got me and Maggie, Luke, Zane, and Harley, and then all of the animals trailing behind us, Quinn, Duchess, Oreo, Belle, Harley's calico, Ceres, and Zane's black cat, Sparkles (and let's just not get into why the acclaimed "bad ass" has an all-black tom cat named Sparkles…it's only more proof of his stupidity. I swear, I love the guy, but he is _such_ a fool sometimes).

Anyway, aside from the fact that we probably would've attracted a lot of attention had it not be close to curfew, it surprised and amused me a bit at how much we'd changed in a couple days because of JC. We wouldn't do this for anyone outside of our group before (and it's damn hard to get into our group), and now all of us were going to the stables in order to find out what happened to one of our friends. But in times like these, you learn who you can trust pretty quickly I suppose.

"So she didn't say why she wanted us all here?" Luke asked as we all walked into the stables. I looked around for a moment, expecting Lenobia or _someone_ to be there the moment we walked in. It was just the horses as far as I could tell.

"No, she didn't," I shook my head, still unable to shake the urgency in JC's voice, "she said there was no time for answers and that she'd explain everything here."

"That's weird…" he trailed off quietly, falling into thought.

"Well I think in the past couple of days we've determined that JC is pretty weird," Zane snorted. I glared at him and he raised his hands, "c'mon, Gwen, you know I'm kidding. I like the girl, but you have to admit the circumstances she came here under are pretty weird. And…somehow she can resist my charm."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing, Maggie would take care of that. "Trust me Zane, the only thing that would be weird in that aspect would be if JC actually _fell_ for your charm," she retorted.

"Let's not get into an argument over this while we're here please," Harley spoke up before it became a fight, "we're in Lenobia's stables waiting to hear some news from JC, probably either about this fight or about Spirit vampyres in general, it's gonna be important."

"Said the history buff," I teased lightly, "but I agree…we're in Lenobia's stables…"

"As it would appear." We all jumped as the vampyre in question came out of one of the stalls and looked at us, "what are you all doing here? Isn't it past curfew?"

"Curfew just started, we were here before then," Maggie answered, "as for why we're here…we don't really have any clue."

The Horse Mistress cocked a brow and was about to speak. "JC called me and said to gather everyone here," I explained, "she didn't say why, but she said she'd answer everything here."

"Is she alright?" Lenobia asked, and looked a bit concerned.

"Her voice was urgent, but she seemed alright otherwise," I shrugged, "I really don't know what happened though, or why she wants us _all_ here."

"Well, it looks like we'll get our answer shortly," Luke pointed out as a bird with violet Marks flew into the stables. The bird was taking to the ground when she shifted and JC plopped to her feet between us and Lenobia.

She looked around the stables frantically a moment before her eyes landed on Maggie and she relaxed. "Well, if anything I'm glad you can and will follow directions. Thanks for coming at least," JC sighed.

"Yeah…we came. Now what the hell is going on?" Zane asked.

"You look like hell," I took a different approach. And she did, she looked more tired than she did the past couple of days.

"Yeah, I probably do. And…well," she paused and leaned against one of the doors to an empty stall before looking to Lenobia, "how much do you know about Marking?"

"I know about Trackers and how they could Mark both blue and Spirit fledglings," Lenobia answered, "but that's about it, why?"

"Would you classify me as a Tracker?"

"You don't have Nyx's symbol, so no," Lenobia added, "again, I ask why?"

"Aphrodite and Rephaim. I Marked Aphrodite after I helped ease her pain from her vision and I Marked Rephaim after the fight," JC explained. Well crap, she Marked two people!

"Wait a minute, what fight?" Harley asked.

"Ok, wait, let me back up," she said and shook her head, "once I got to the tunnels, Rephaim just got back from being a raven. We were talking for a moment or two when the bad red fledglings and that guy…uh, Dallas I think…came out of nowhere and attacked us. Through the fight, he got a bloody gash on his forehead and I healed him…then I Marked him."

"Those bastards shouldn't be attacking the tunnels like that," Zane growled and I was surprised to hear the venom in his voice. He may be annoying and cocky, but he rarely got that mad. "Did you guys beat them?"

"Not one of my finer moments," JC admitted shamefully, "I turned into a wolf and nearly mauled Dallas. They retreated, but no one went after them, Rephaim was our top priority at the time."

"Life over death is a good choice to make, no matter what the circumstances are," Lenobia stated in approval.

"But they're still out there?" Zane pressed.

"Still out there somewhere," she nodded, "we don't know where they came from nor where they went."

"Damn it!" he exclaimed, "damn it."

"Why are you so set on these bad red fledglings? You have been since we've known about them. Something personal?" Maggie asked.

"I…just want to get rid of them. They're worse than the fledglings here, they're Neferet's little play toys and it angers me," he explained, "I just don't like them, that's all. What else you got for us JC?"

My roommate seemed momentarily shocked by the question, probably being shaken out of her thoughts. "Wha-oh yeah, ok. Um, so I Marked Rephaim and hey, went to the Otherworld _again_. Because of his Raven Mocker past, I don't know, Nyx wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into, and his punishment still had to be figured in there somewhere…"

"What is his punishment now?" I questioned.

"His guide animal is the raven and on every new moon he is a raven for a full day," JC answered. "So yeah, we both passed out, I woke up sooner than him, and he may still be asleep. I'm assuming it's just the transition process he has to go through because of his punishment and to become a fledgling. So while I was there and awake, Aphrodite had a vision and I healed and Marked her too."

"Markings of people with high connections to Spirit," Lenobia mused.

"That's what Sgiach said too," my roommate nodded. We all stared at her blankly and she chuckled, "after Marking Aphrodite we talked to Queen Sgiach…which was actually recommended to me after the Council meeting. Duantia and Thanatos both agreed that even though they are not on the best of terms, it would be smart for me to contact her…so we did."

"She is knowledgeable, Daniel went there for some of his research, she will be a help," the Horse Mistress agreed, "she will be more helpful than me."

"And that's where I'm going with this," JC stated and looked at her wrist with the bracelet Markings on it, "she's reopening the Isle of Skye to become a House of Night again…and along with the Markings on the isle and coast of Scotland, she's allowed to take 100 transfers."

"Wait…are you saying…?" I trailed off. Did she want to _transfer_?

"I know it sounds crazy…trust me, Aphrodite told me numerous times that it was crazy," she snorted at some memory we didn't know…though I got a flash of Aphrodite calling her 'fucking insane' from her mind, "but yeah…both Sgiach and I agree that it would be best for me, as well as Aphrodite and Rephaim, to transfer there. Much more knowledge and help that we can't get here."

"What about everyone else?" Luke asked.

"We'd figure out how to get them there. Zoey and Stark are my Charges, which none of us know what that entails. Stevie Rae and Darius are mate and Warrior respectively, the red fledglings need their High Priestess, and the circle is needed because they're Zoey's circle, special fledglings and all that," JC explained.

Lenobia sighed, "it is a great plan…the only issue is that you have to go through Neferet in order to do it. She's still the High Priestess here and still gets the final say of her students."

"I figured as much," she sighed, "but she can't deny me, Aphrodite, or Rephaim going because that is what the High Council wants. And she still bends to the High Council for the time being, she'd be stupid not too, so it could work like that."

"What about everyone else though, that isn't High Council sponsored," Luke pointed out.

"No, no it's not," she agreed, "but it always could be."

"Are you suggesting getting the High Council's position to move everyone?" Harley asked and JC nodded, "that could work."

"It could, but what of everyone here? And the Darkness? It's like you're running away," Zane argued.

"Not running away, learning how to fight," JC responded, "no matter how much help we get from Nyx, we're only teenagers. There's still a lot to learn, and Sgiach can teach that stuff we need. We throw a curveball at Neferet because she isn't expecting us to leave, Zoey is safe for the time we need to learn, it all works out."

"But still, what about everything else that is going on?" he asked.

"That's why I called you all here," she answered, "we still need a group here to keep tabs with. A group we can trust and that will stand tall against everything. Basically, we need you," she paused and turned to Lenobia, who had gone quiet, "we need _all_ of you for that. We know what happened last time Skye was in the equation and it didn't end well. But Damien brought up a good point when I was there, we all are more vigilant than before, we know what _can_ happen, and that leaves us better protected."

"So you just want to leave us here?" Luke asked.

JC sighed and rubbed a hand over her face, "think of it like a SWAT team. We're the team, you guys are home base, and I'm the correspondent between the two. And I mean, look at Gwen, her telepathy has already developed to the point that it is extremely strong," she pointed between me and herself, "and then look at me, who has no damn clue as to what my powers are or what I'm supposed to do with them. You guys are all developed, you know what's going on here, and five of you have been here longer than me, at least four if not all of you have been here longer than Zoey. You know the shit that's going down here, you know how to handle it, and you can handle it until we get back."

"So you don't just intend on staying?" Zane continued to press.

"No! My only intent is to go to find out just what the hell it is that I am," she answered, "then I'm coming back."

We stood in silence for probably a complete minute. "If it matters any, I am totally cool with being home base for a time. If it's going to help us against Crazy Bitch, home base is perfectly fine with me," Maggie announced.

I smiled at her and squeezed her hand a bit. "Home base sounds pretty fun, and pretty awesome," I agreed. Harley and Luke muttered agreements, leaving Zane to stand there, still looking at my roommate.

"Do you really intend on coming back?" He was dead serious, and very little could make him that serious. It was intriguing, if not a tad nerve-wracking, to see him like this.

"Zane, I was brought into this world by the Goddess for a reason. I know that reason is to be here to help aid in the fight against Darkness, and I have absolutely no intent on turning my back on Nyx or my duties," JC promised.

Zane cracked a smirk and nodded, "Goddess, pretty, smart, funny, _and_ loyal, could you get any more perfect? Home base does sound cool though, it sounds like we are part of a SWAT team, which is every guy's dream."

The Spirit vamp rolled her eyes but smiled just a bit before turning to Lenobia. "What about you, Lenobia? You've been quiet for some time now."

The Horse Mistress sighed and looked at all of us. "It is a magnificent plan, it's just that I worry about interference from Neferet. With the way she's spiraling out of control, she _may_ go against her better judgment and not allow you to go to the Isle of Skye. And then what could be done aside from the High Council stepping in?"

"Yeah, but if that were to happen, would the High Council stepping in be a bad thing? If she goes against her better judgment, doesn't that mean she's slipping too far and is only getting more dangerous?" I asked.

"The situation would depend," Lenobia answered, "yes, it would mean she is getting more dangerous, but it doesn't mean the manipulation gets any less weak. The only thing you can do, JC, is talk to her," she said and looked back to the fledgling she mentored.

"I have to talk to her about Aunt Linda's funeral on Monday anyway, I can just bring that up too…maybe with the High Council on the computer," she shrugged, the wheels were definitely going in her head.

"Just let us know how it goes," Harley stated, "is that all you wanted us here for?"

"Well…yeah," JC nodded but seemed like she wanted to say more.

"Actually, I wanted to give you something. I left it in my office," Lenobia said and started walking off, "I'll be back in a moment."

"Ok," Zane spoke up, "if I'm not needed anymore, I'm going back to my dorm and I'm going to sleep."

"For once, Zane has a good idea, I'm going to do the same. Harley, you coming?" Luke asked and looked at his roommate.

"Yeah, wait up Zane!" Harley called after him.

"Bye guys and girls," JC called, referring to both our friends and the two cats leaving, apparently she had spoken with them. Her face scrunched up in confusion for a moment, probably hearing something, and she looked back to their retreating figures, "Zane…why the _hell_ do you have a black tom named Sparkles?" she shouted.

Maggie and I broke down into laughter at her question. She just looked at us in confusion and I waved her off. "Don't ask…even _we_ don't know the answer as to why his name is Sparkles. The poor cat," I chuckled and shook my head.

"So JC, do you need any more proof that Zane is just a bit off the deep end?" Maggie joked.

"Nope, I think that's enough," she chuckled and turned to face Lenobia, who was coming back. She took the two books that the Horse Mistress gave to her with confusion. They seemed like nice books, leather-bound and all that, but it was still odd. "What are these?"

"I told you I would do some research today," Lenobia smiled, "the top book is one that Daniel Kier wrote on your race. I'm not 'technically' supposed to have it, so _don't_ lose it and most certainly _don't_ show it to anyone who is not in this room. The second is an extremely old book. It doesn't have as much information, but there are some references to some known Spirit vampyres and some of their powers, it will still be of a help," she explained.

JC smiled, "awesome… I can actually read up on this now!"

"You get enjoyment out of the strangest things," Maggie commented and I shook my head again, "what? She does!"

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with learning a little bit more about her race so she isn't quite so in the dark about it," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh…heh, yeah, I guess that makes sense," my girlfriend admitted sheepishly.

My roommate just chuckled, "but really, this is great. Thank you so much, Lenobia. You've been amazing to me the past couple of days, and you hardly know me."

The vampyre smiled, "we are in this together, so long as you are willing to accept my help, I am willing to give it."

"And I will forever be grateful for that," JC nodded and looked at the books, "I guess I'm going to go back to my room and read up some. Now's as good of a time as any. And I will talk to you tomorrow about what goes on with Neferet," she added and bowed respectfully to Lenobia.

"That sounds like the best plan. Good night, Priestess," Lenobia mirrored the bow and JC flushed at the respect. Well, in every aspect, with Aphrodite and Rephaim Marked, she was a High Priestess now, respect was due I suppose.

The three of us, with Quinn, Oreo, Duchess, and Belle walked back outside. The sun was past the horizon now and it was uncomfortably bright. I used to love the sun and being outside, a year at the vampyre school and living off of a night schedule had changed that, apparently. I was actually walking pretty quickly to get back to the dorms when JC stopped us.

"There was, actually, one more thing I wanted to talk about, just with you two," she said and Mags and I turned back. She looked nervous, and uncomfortable.

"What about, JC?" I asked with a small smile, hoping maybe it would comfort her some. It didn't.

"When I Marked Aphrodite, she just had a vision, like I said. The content of the vision…" JC trailed off and looked at the ground.

"What about the vision?" Maggie asked, "what happened in it?"

"Someone died," she said quietly and dragged her gaze to meet my girlfriend's, "Maggie…it's a warning, only a premonition, and something that can be avoided. Zoey has avoided death a couple times thanks to Aphrodite and her visions…"

"Yeah, I know," she nodded, "I don't understand why that applies to me, though."

I was frozen in shock, and I locked eyes with my roommate. Unlike Maggie, I understood immediately. "What happened in it?" I asked the question again.

"It…it was short," JC whispered, "and rather vague. Aphrodite, who was Maggie, was running. There were dark shadows moving in the air and the next thing she knew, Maggie was struck down by the girls' dorm and…and…"

She didn't have to finish, I knew what it meant, and so did Maggie. "You're saying Aphrodite had a vision of my…_death_?"

JC bit her lip then nodded. Her blue/gray eyes flicked between us a moment before she nodded again. "I'll go back to our room, leave you guys alone and all. I'll be there if you need me," she said. She wasn't a mind reader, but she knew that we needed a moment or two alone. JC nodded again, muttered something under her breath and she, Quinn, and Duchess continued on to the girls' dorm.

I turned from her back to Maggie, looking at my girlfriend and…admittedly reading her mind. Fear was in there, denial, worry for me, everything was in there.

"Well, I guess that's something to take in," Maggie said casually and turned to walk back to the dorms.

I followed after her in silence for a moment. "It's okay to be scared," I said right before we entered. I noticed her look around a moment before reaching for the door and getting inside.

"I'm not scared," she stated gruffly.

I sighed, not ready to have that conversation in front of all of the other girls. So instead, I followed her to her room, and the moment her door was closed, I grabbed her hand and kissed her, _hard_. When we pulled apart, I looked at her again, "it's okay to be scared."

"I'm worried," Maggie admitted, "not scared, worried."

"I know you're scared," I stated bluntly, "it's radiating off of you like no tomorrow."

She looked away and said nothing. When I saw a glistening track going down her cheek, I realized why. "I don't want to die, Gwen…I just got my death sentence!"

"No, no you didn't," I said quickly, "Aphrodite got a vision. Like JC said, look at how many times they helped _save_ Zoey from death. You just got your saving grace, not a death sentence."

"Her soul was still shattered," she whispered, almost to the point that I couldn't hear her.

"She came back," I responded.

"It still happened though, based exactly like Aphrodite's vision if the rumors are true."

"They didn't take enough care. We will, I promise," I swore.

Maggie looked at me and shook her head, brown eyes glistening, "what if it isn't enough?"

I walked over and put my arms around her. "You're really shaken up. It will be enough, we'll all make sure it's enough," I said resolutely. And we would.

"I don't want to leave you, Gwennie," she mumbled into my shoulder. The kitten mewed and, despite the situation we were in, we both laughed. "I don't want to leave you, or Belle, or Zane, or Harley and Luke, or even JC," she added and met my gaze steadily.

"And you won't Mags," I muttered and hugged her again, placing a kiss on the top of her head, "we'll work this out so you don't have to leave any of us."

We stayed like that for a long while. At some point in time we both sat down and I was leaning against the wall, Maggie half in my lap. For this one night, I turned the protective one as I repeatedly told her that nothing would happen.

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

I scurried back to my room as quick as possible, throwing the two books, and then myself, onto my bed. I buried my head in a pillow, let out a yell, and sighed. This wasn't supposed to be how this worked out…at all. UGH!

"_You should've called for me."_ I turned my head to look at Quinn, who was looking back at me, "_I told you to call me if things got bad."_

"It wouldn't have mattered, you were too far out with what happened," I sighed and closed my eyes for a minute.

"_The vision…"_

"Can we just not talk about that?" I asked, more like begged. "I didn't even have the vision, and I wasn't even in the vision, and it upsets me," I added.

"_Fair enough, but eventually that subject has to be broached,"_ Quinn reminded me.

"When Gwen comes back," I muttered and opened my eyes again. "I should probably e-mail the High Council before I start reading or anything of the sort," I added and sat up, rubbing at my eye.

Sighing, I got up and went over to my laptop, turning it on. Checking my e-mail, I found that I had two new ones from Ally and one from my father from like…a week ago (I don't check my mail often…and then I never delete it, so I have some 2000 or more e-mails in my inbox). I also remembered that I'd promise to text Ally at some point this weekend. It was only 8 in the morning though, she wouldn't be up yet on a weekend.

Getting away from that track, I searched around vampyre websites for a bit until I found the Council's e-mail address I needed (seriously, _everything_ is on the internet). When I did, I sent out an e-mail to them explaining everything that went on with Sgiach and my new fledglings and asked them about talking to Neferet tomorrow…and then turned on my alert (yes, my computer does say "you've got mail").

With that done, I took the two books I set on my desk and plopped back down on my bed. "I should probably start with the one with less information," I stated and opened it up. A few things were marked with sticky notes, which made me laugh, but I was thankful for it. I started reading what was around the first sticky note. I just finished reading about Alexandra, a Greek vampyre who was apparently the first High Priestess and founder of our race when my computer went off. The book didn't explicitly say that she was a Spirit vampyre, but it was heavily implied.

I looked to Quinn, who was eating, but stopped and looked back to me, giggling. "_It's only funny because it's so old_ _and cliché_!"she told me and went back to eating.

"You are amused by the simplest things," I chuckled in response and sat down in front of my computer. The e-mail was from the High Council thankfully, so I opened it and read through, a sigh of relief escaping as I went on.

"_What'd they say?"_ Quinn asked, abandoning her food and coming over to me, looking at the laptop. Duchess, who had remained pretty quiet, was by her side.

"Basically, they're as surprised as me and Lenobia over the fact that I Marked people, but that they officially approve our transfer to Skye. They thought it was a good idea that the circle went as well, and since Stevie Rae and Stark are both going, the red fledglings need to go as well. Essentially, I just got the highest approval needed to get us all to Skye," I explained and smiled just a bit.

"_I always told you that you are good with words."_

"I can't believe this just worked," I said and let out a giggle, "that _seriously_ just worked."

"_The High Council does, to some extent, know what's going on. And the fact that the circle is the circle and probably could use more teachings in magick than the normal fledgling I'm sure helped as well,"_ Duchess added, "_you just managed to word it in a way that they believed and agreed with you. Congrats."_

I chuckled and nodded, looking back at the message. "I probably should print this out, but there isn't a printer here and I don't want to go to the library. I'll do it tomorrow," I said, more to myself than the dogs. I sent a quick reply saying thank you before shutting down my computer again and going back to reading.

"_Interesting book? You seem wrapped up in it,"_ my dog teased when I threw myself back on the bed.

"About as wrapped up as you with your food?" I retorted and smiled when Duchess laughed, "but yeah, it is actually. I apparently can learn history when I _want_ to learn it," I added. I _hated_ social studies classes with a passion.

Quinn let it go after that and I continued reading. I was actually reading about Nevma, who was still alive and the current High Priestess when the book was written, when the door opened and clicked shut. I looked up to see Gwen coming in, she looked haggard and puffy-eyed…this clearly didn't go too well. "How is she?" I asked quietly, instantly setting my book to the side.

"She's scared and worried, as anyone would be at the moment. That was a huge bombshell to drop," Gwen responded and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I…it needed to be done," I mumbled.

"I'm not blaming you, because it did need to be done. It doesn't make the news any better though," she said.

"We're all behind her. Now that we know…somewhat of what happened, we can be more protective and cautious. We're not going to let that vision come true," I told Gwen.

"I know, that's what I told her."

"It's looking like someone needs to tell that to _you_," I stated bluntly.

Gwen looked away and at the door, but nodded in agreement. She muttered something under her breath that sounded something like "I'm scared to lose her too" and then looked back to me. "I'm going to shower, you don't need it, do you?" she asked.

I shook my head, "I'll be here reading if you need anything," I said and picked the book back up. I heard the bathroom door shut and a few moments later, the water in the shower go on. When I heard that, I went back to reading again.

I actually got through reading all of Nevma's information right when Gwen came back out. Goddess the woman had been through a lot, abuse at her home, a failed marriage at a really young age (it was the 1600s), and then getting Marked and disowned. She was a lot like Neferet in that sense though, but she stayed on the path of Light, Neferet didn't…and I couldn't help but to, for a brief second, wonder why that was.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I went a different route entirely. I put the book down and stared at the ceiling. Goddess, I'd only been here for four days (nights really, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and soon to be Sunday), and it was going nuts. I had two Charges, two fledglings, confronted Darkness (which it does appear that other Spirit vamps actually _did_ do too), and confronted Neferet. I watched as Gwen came out of the bathroom, dressed for bed, and sighed again. And let's not forget about that vision either. What else could happen…especially during a full week of school?

"Feel better?" I asked when my roommate sat down on her bed, wringing out the water in her hair.

"A bit, it's still a shock and changes a lot, but I'm feeling a bit better," Gwen explained.

I nodded and closed my eyes, throwing my forearm over them. "Everything can change in the blink of an eye," I found myself saying for the second time that day.

"Adaption is necessary," she agreed and then fell into a silence. I agreed to let the silence go on.

With the silence, I was _just_ beginning to doze off when I was woken up by a strange, tingling sensation in my right wrist that slowly went down my entire arm.

I mumbled and moved my arm to glance at it sleepily. The Charge bracelets were glowing a bit, which was really weird…and before I had a chance to do anything, the tingling went through my entire body and stayed in a rather…awkward place in my body. I groaned and felt myself sit up in bed and cross my legs. _What the hell?_

"JC, are you alright?" I heard Gwen ask and I moved to look at her, only to find my vision was fading.

"I…I don't know," I answered and, to me, I sounded really faint. This was strange.

"Do you want me to go get Helena?" she asked and I could hear the worry in her voice as well as her shifting to stand up.

"N-no, not yet. If I pass out, then yeah, please," I said and pressed my hand to my forehead.

My vision entirely faded now and suddenly, new images popped before my eyes. I was on a bed I think…and an extremely naked Stark was hovering over top of me. _OK, WHAT THE HELL?_

"I love you so much, Zoey," he said huskily. Oh…Zoey. Wait…Zoey?

"I love you too, Stark," she responded breathlessly. Now, not only was I extremely confused about the position I had currently found myself in and how I found myself in it, I was confused as to _exactly_ where and who I was. I mean, I wasn't Zoey…I wasn't Stark, I was just like an observer, and quite possibly still me. Ok, this was officially disturbing. What the hell is going on?

Something was said, I wasn't sure what, and then suddenly, I felt like I was flying. It was only for a brief second because I was then where Stark was I guess, because I could see my cousin totally naked too…the absolute last image I needed to see _EVER_.

Stark leaned down and started kissing Z, this was now my proof that I wasn't in either one of their minds…I was just there. I watched, against my will (I was still trying to get out of there with every ounce of my being…but I physically could not look away for some reason) as Stark started planting his lips down my cousin's jaw line and to her neck before his teeth grazed the skin.

"Yes, Stark," Z whispered…and I knew what that meant automatically. I needed to get out of there and _FAST_.

He bit into her neck and started sucking at her blood, Zoey's moans getting louder and more…I suppose lustful is the word. So now let me just tell you, the last thing I ever needed was mind sex, or mind rape, or I'm not even sure what the hell to call it!

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!_

"Stark," Zoey called in pure desire and need. Her Guardian seemed to respond, at least from the top half of him that I was intent to focus on since I was forced to focus on something.

_Fuck it (a _really _bad choice in wording I realized). SPIRIT!_

And before anything else could be done there, I was out of there. I found myself back in my room, pressed as far as I possibly could against the back wall. My breathing was heavy, and when my eyes refocused I noticed Gwen, Quinn, Oreo, and Duchess all looking at me in worry. I asked the first thing that came to mind, "how did I wind up here?"

"_You shot out of bed like a bat out of hell,"_ Quinn responded and looked at me warily.

"You mean you don't remember? You ran there yourself," Gwen answered as well, "JC, honestly, are you alright?"

I took a steadying breath and nodded finally, "yeah, yeah I'm alright now," I said and slowly slid down the wall, looking at the animals, "I swear I'm alright, you can go back to bed."

They all gave me another look before slowly retreating back to their beds. Gwen however, wasn't as easy to convince since she was still standing over me with crossed arms. "What happened?"

I sighed, "I was just pulled into the minds of my two Charges I think," I answered vaguely.

"You were pulled into Zoey and Stark's minds?" she asked in surprise, "but how?"

I shook my head, "I honestly don't have a damn clue. Over emotions…I don't know."

"What do you mean over emotions?"

"I uh," I paused and coughed, "I was pulled into their minds right before they were having sex…"

Gwen looked at me like she hadn't heard properly. I didn't blame her. "You…wait, go back please!"

"You heard correctly," I said and nodded, "I was pulled into their minds right before they made love. It was horrifying."

She stared at me again and I could tell she was trying very hard not to laugh. I could see the smile come to her face and she turned around, coughing down a chuckle. Well, at least my suffering got her to momentarily forget about the vision…that was probably the one and only bonus of what just happened.

"It isn't funny!" I shrieked, "I'm mentally traumatized!"

"I…I know," she said through a bout of giggles and sat down on her bed. I glared at her, but it only just caused her to laugh harder.

"Oh forget it!" I exclaimed and got up, going back to my own bed, "you wouldn't understand unless you went through it!" Really, this wasn't funny to me.

"I'm sorry, JC," Gwen added and sobered up some, "I suppose for you it wouldn't be, especially with Zoey being your cousin, but it was just so surprising for you to say that. That also may be something you want to ask Lenobia about, or see if it's in one of the books."

"Yeah…I intend to," I mumbled and threw my head back on my pillow, "I'm going to sleep now."

"Fair enough," she agreed and I closed my eyes, forcing back the images from my last experience that would probably be forever engraved in my brain. Wonderful. Well, if one thing, my lesson was learned. Never again will I ask what else could happen in my life. Karma seems to enjoy answering me in some pretty screwed up ways.

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><p><strong>The little blue button down there gets lonely sometimes, you should definitely be friendly and click on it. Just a nice reminder ;).<strong>


	21. He's Mine

**A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! My God was the holiday season busy! I wasn't on break until this past Friday for some, unknown reason and it was just hell. You have every right to throw stuff at me, just don't kill me!**

**I come bearing a peace offering too. I'm going to post 3 chapters today (it was supposed to be 2...but the next 2 were over 10,000 words combined and I decided to split it) starting with this semi-romance fluff chapter. The first part with Zoey is a bit risqué, but it's basically just what JC saw when she was pulled into Stark/Zoey's private moment. ****The second part, well, Stephaim fans will hopefully be happy. **

**What can I say? I needed to write some fluff...so here it is. It's kinda short, but there are some clues in here that could foreshadow to something greater. See if you can pick up on them.**

**ALSO! There is a poll on my profile about Linda's funeral. Please please PLEASE vote in it! I'm split 50/50 as to what I should do there and I want your opinions on it. AND, if you want to see something happen in the funeral, please let me know in a review, PM, whatever! I have half of it written, but there are so many possibilities for that that I don't know where to begin. And I only have one more chapter to write out before I actually have to post the funeral. SO VOTE!**

**Shout-out to Kimberlyy for reminding me that there are still people reading. These next few are for you ;).**

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><p><strong><span>Zoey's POV<span>**

With JC literally flying out the door, it left just me and Stark standing in the basement alone. "She's really worried, isn't she?" Stark asked as we turned away to go back to the tunnels.

"Aphrodite just told her one of her friends might die, the girlfriend to her roommate," I explained, "I'm sure she is. And add to the fact that she gets extremely protective over the people close to her now, it's worse for her."

"Yeah, I've been noticing she's protective," my Guardian agreed, "I mean…suggesting I don't go with you guys to the funeral? That's pretty protective."

I bit my lip as we walked towards our room in the tunnels. "I actually agree with her there," I said, "the funeral is in the afternoon…it starts at 2:00, that's still in the day Stark, there's still sun out."

"It just means I have to be extra careful, not that I can't go," he explained.

"Stark, I love the effort and your trying to get there, but you don't need to protect me 24/7…especially if JC will be there. She'll do a good job of that, I know it," I sighed a bit. Boy did I ever know it, my cousin would probably going crazy and hit someone if they tried to hurt me, even at a _funeral_. And also, as Stevie Rae would say, I don't want a crispy crunchy boyfriend from the sun either.

"And can we please just stop talking about this?" I asked, "the whole funeral issue…it's still a bit too new and surprising. I'm already going to my mom's funeral and I lost Heath, I don't want to risk you being the third person I lose…that's the only reason I don't want you going," I explained quietly. The thought of going to my mom's funeral and saying it allowed, it was still too weird.

Instead of saying anything, Stark lifted up my chin and kissed me. It wasn't in the 'I-want-to-get-in-your-pants' kiss (which…we had been sharing a lot of late), but a gentle, sweet kiss. "You aren't going to lose me, _mo bann ri_," he promised, "just face it Z, you're stuck with me."

I smiled as we pushed past the blanket serving as a curtain to our room. "I know I am, and I'm extremely happy about it too," I told him.

This time in response, he kissed me again…only it was more like the 'I-want-to-get-in-your-pants' kiss…and I was perfectly fine with that. Anything to get both our minds off of the funeral tomorrow was a welcomed relief…this just so happened to be the perfect way to do it.

Before either of us knew it, we were both on the bed stripped of our clothes. Stark was hovering over me, and that's when something strange happened. His eyes flashed red very, very briefly and he opened his mouth as if he was going to bite me…and _hard_. But then it was gone and my Guardian was back to his normal looking self. Yet, something about the air around us didn't feel quite right. It felt like another presence was there…almost like Spirit.

Anything else that might have happened though, was cut short by my mind. "I love you so much, Zoey," Stark said huskily. Yup, no more coherent thoughts for me.

"I love you too, Stark," I responded a little more breathlessly than I would have liked.

In response, Stark started placing kisses down my jaw line and grazed his teeth across my neck.

"Yes, Stark," I whispered. Goddess did I ever want him to do it.

He bit into my neck and started sucking at the small bite mark. My moans must have kept him going because that was exactly what he did. "Stark," I called in pure desire and need. And yes did he ever respond.

Had I been observant at the time, I probably would have noticed the spiritual presences missing. But it was just me and Stark in our own little world and nothing else mattered. And after that, I fell asleep in Stark's arms. It was probably the best sleep either of us got in a while, and I was glad to see my Guardian sleep calmly through the night for the first time in a long while.

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><p><strong><span>Stevie Rae's POV<span>**

After the meeting with JC and Sgiach and everyone, I rushed back down to my…our room with the speed of a tornado to check on Rephaim. He wasn't awake when I left, and I was both hoping and not hoping he was awake now. I mean, I wanted him to wake up yeah, but I kinda wanted to be there too.

Walking into the room, I noticed he was still asleep on our bed. He looked like a sleeping baby, it was so cute. But I knew he had to get up sometime soon, even if he was still makin' the Change. "Rephaim, c'mon, you gotta wake up," I said and shook his arm gently. He didn't even move.

I sighed, "well, alright then, you gotta be comin' round soon." I went and sat back down in the chair in my room that I pulled by the bed.

I was worrying of course. It'd been a while since the fight and what happened to Rephaim. I mean, JC healed him right good, but I couldn't help but to worry. What if he never woke up? What if his body rejected the Marking because of who and what he was? What if his body couldn't get used to his new punishment…what if it was too much for a fledgling? Goddess, I couldn't lose Rephaim…not so quickly after I got him.

"Please don't leave me, Rephaim," I whispered to him and I could feel tears in my eyes. Hell, I was turning into crybaby. I really was one lovesick puppy.

I sat in that chair next to Rephaim for a while longer. I could tell the sun was up by now and I was really sleepy. My eyelids felt like sandbags, but I kept them open. I would make sure I saw for myself that Rephaim would wake up. At least, I tried.

I did doze off in the chair, but it wasn't enough for me to be out like a light. I noticed the movement on the bed and opened my eyes to see Rephaim staring back at me. "You're awake," I grinned and rubbed at my eyes, "good…I was starting to worry about ya."

"It was just a time to adjust, nothing to worry about," Rephaim answered and slowly sat up on his arms, "I had to adjust to a different kind of Spirit."

"Whaddya mean?" I asked and scrunched my face together.

"I was a part of my father for so long, the power that I thrived on was tainted and Dark," he said, "what JC gave to me by Marking me, it was pure and Light. I just had to adjust to that, and I am glad that I did."

"It's a good sign for ya," I agreed and smiled, resting my hand on his arm.

"Yes, I agree," he nodded and smiled at me, "this is nice. I cannot thank you enough for this."

"Me?" I asked, "I wasn't the one who Marked ya…that was JC."

"I know, and I thanked her for it already. But you are the reason why I was able to be Marked in the first place, so thank you too," Rephaim explained.

"Aw…Rephaim," I smiled, "that's just what you do. My mama always said love was a funny thing and it'll make you do some crazy stuff. I guess she was right."

"Love, yes," he mumbled, "there is one more thing I would wish to do," he said and slowly got out of bed.

"What are you doing? You could still be weak, you shouldn't be getting out of bed," I admonished him.

"I know what I am doing, Stevie Rae," he said and got down to his one knee, fisting his hand over his heart. "I know I am only a fledgling, and I only have been for a few hours, but I have been in this world for an extremely long amount of time, and you are the only one to have made me feel like this. Vampyre Warriors have done this for centuries, and I would wish to do the same," he said.

"R-Rephaim what are you doing?" I asked again. I had a feeling I knew, Z explained what happened with Stark and this was real similar. I was shaking like a leaf.

"I'm pledging myself to you, Red One. Do you accept my pledge, my lady?" he asked.

Of course I do, and I wanted to! But my mind wouldn't let me say the words. "What about JC…she's the one who Marked you and turned you into a fledgling. She is your High Priestess, not me."

"While this is true, JC is a strong, powerful girl who I will protect as well, but she will be okay without a Warrior," Rephaim answered and then paused, "and I am not saying that you are not…but I am here for you now. JC will be ok and she will understand, she is a kind and understanding person, she will not be mad. So again I ask, do you accept my pledge, Stevie Rae?"

I smiled brightly and nodded, "yes, Rephaim, yes I do. And in Nyx's name I bind you to the Goddess's service, as well as to mine, because to serve me is to serve her," I said and held out my hand, "now would you please get up…you're still making me a bit nervous," I admitted. He still should've been in bed.

"Of course," he smiled back and took my hand. The moment our fingers connected, a small flash of light passed between us and Rephaim jumped back in surprise. Looking at his arm, there was a purple bracelet wrapping around his wrist…it was exactly like JC's. "What is this?" he asked in confusion and winced a bit.

I gently grabbed his hand and turned it around to look at the bracelet-like Mark. It had my name in it surrounded by feathers that made the design. "It's a Charge Mark I think JC called it…it signifies who your Charge is."

"What's a Charge?" Rephaim asked, "and why does it still hurt?"

"I dunno what a Charge is other than it's something a Spirit vamp has. And you are called a Guide, it's kinda like a Warrior and Priestess relationship I think, except on a spiritual level instead of physical" I explained. She didn't talk much about it, so I didn't know all that much either, "and it still hurts 'cause I think it's givin' you free choice. The Goddess doesn't just force one person on another, so neither does Spirit. Try accepting it."

"Oh…Spirit, I accept your suggestion to make Stevie Rae my Charge," Rephaim announced and he relaxed a bit, "the pain is gone."

"Good," I nodded and traced the design on his wrist, "I guess we're bound in a lot of ways now, aren't we?"

Rephaim nodded and gave me a soft kiss on the lips, "all the more helpful it is to aid me in your protection," he agreed and kissed me again.

"I guess so," I said when we pulled apart again, "now you're still lookin' mighty tired. Them circles under your eyes are as dark as the sky, why don't you try sleeping some more?"

"I believe that is something we should both do," Rephaim added and lied back down on the bed, me in his arms, "it is past sunrise, you must be tired as well."

"Mhm," I mumbled and let my eyes close. Being on a bed was all that I needed.

"I love you, Stevie Rae," he whispered to me right before I fell asleep.

"I love you too," I muttered and let sleep overtake me. He was my Imprint, my Warrior, and now my Guide. Rephaim was mine and no one could ever tell me otherwise.


	22. Final Destination

**A/N: So, the exact opposite of the last chapter...yay! Not really, don't have much to say. Read, enjoy, review, vote in the poll, and all that stuff. Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I haven't done this in a while. I don't own House of Night, it belongs to the Casts. I do own JC though, and Quinn and Gwen and all those people who actually aren't in the series. If I see them elsewhere without my permission...I will sick Dark JC on you. Or Quinn. Or both. Also, this chapter is brought to you by Evanescence, seriously, there's a line in there from 'What You Want' and half of this chapter came about from listening to 'Sweet Sacrifice.' I don't own them either, for you cannot own people in America, it is considered slavery and that is against the 13th Amendment.**

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

Surprisingly enough, I fell asleep rather quickly. Personally, I expected to be awake reliving the nightmare that I just went through with Zoey and Stark, but no, that didn't happen. I was dog tired, but with what I actually _did_ dream about, I would've gladly taken the scene I had just witnessed.

I had one of those dreams where you know it's a dream but you can't do jack shit about it because you can't force yourself to wake up. Yeah, I hate those dreams a lot. I opened my eyes up to find I was lying on some kind of platform. I looked around finding that I had just enough light to see by, but that was it, everything else was dark. The best way I can describe it is that one level in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii, the one with just that one, floating platform and the pretty, changing background. Occasionally you fought the giant hand on it or whatever the hell it was in single player mode. Final Destination…that's its name.

So I was sitting on the platform in Final Destination, really confused (which seems to be a _really_ common feeling for me now) when I heard footsteps. I scrambled to my feet, figuring this was a new meeting spot for Nyx or Nevma or someone, and walked towards the center of the platform. The person who I had heard emerged from the shadows of the area and it was like looking into a mirror. An exact reflection of me came into view…yet it wasn't an exact reflection all at the same time.

We stared at each other for a few moments before I decided to do the old cliché thing and raise my hand to see if she did the same thing. Instead, reflection me smirked and shook her head, "I'm not some mirror image, honey."

I took a step back and looked at her oddly. "Who are you?" I asked warily, looking over her. She was me exactly, red hair, blue/gray eyes, violet Mark, and stick-like body (if I haven't mentioned…I have absolutely no womanly curves whatsoever). She was wearing a short, off-white dress but when I looked down, I was still wearing the sweats I fell asleep in. And aside from our clothes, there was still something just slightly off about her.

Mock disappointment crossed the other me's face and she shook her head. "Hello, hello, remember me? I'm everything you can't control," she said in a sing-song voice and tilted her head slightly, inspecting me like I had done her. "You really don't know who I am, do you?" she asked.

"Would I have asked if I did?" I retorted and crossed my arms, expecting an answer.

"Pity, I've only been with you most of your life," she muttered and turned away, waving her hand at the air in front of her. A screen-like thing appeared in the space and a picture appeared on it. A blue car. It took only a nanosecond for me to realize what was going on.

I covered my mouth and choked back a sob as it came to life. The blue car was driving down a side road, woods on either side of it. Everything seemed calm and normal…but I knew what happened next…I'd relived it a thousand times over, and to keep from seeing it again, I turned my back to it. The horn of a Chevy truck blared, screeching tires, a crash through the guard rail, and then screams of my mother and brother before the final sound of metal twisting against a tree trunk at the bottom of a ravine. Her point was made, and I knew who she was…or I could take a wild guess.

"I got rid of you when I was 8," I growled and turned back to find the screen gone, "what the hell do you want now?" I demanded.

"I never thought you a fool, Jennifer," the other JC grinned wickedly, "but if you truly believe you got rid of me when you were 8 then you are one. Sure, you repressed me, but you reveled in Darkness for a year beforehand, you aren't ever going to get rid of me after that. That's a fact you're going to have to face."

"I repressed you enough once, I sure as hell can do it again," I said and glared at her.

"Ah, now don't be so quick to assume that, sweetheart," she said and walked over, placing a hand on my cheek that I turned away from. As a response, she forced me to look at her, "I can feel Darkness in this area, and it's calling to you because it's calling to me. I'm getting stronger, JC, and don't you try to deny it."

In response, I spat in her face. Nope, not one of the most ladylike gestures to do, but when have I ever _truly_ been ladylike in the first place? And in response to that, she slapped me, which I did back to her then took a step back. I'd get the last say in this fight. "That year of Darkness, that was a confused child who was hurt and lost her innocence. She was depressed and angry at the world. It's a year I'll never forget, but one that I've learned to put behind me, much as I have you. You're a part of me that I'll never let see the light of day again, that's for damn sure," I promised.

She stared at me for a moment before a grin appeared on her face, then full out laughter. "My God, are you ever naïve," she laughed and shook her head, "you just don't get it. You don't control me, I decide when and where I come out, not you. Darkness out there, it wants to see me again, and that's not something you can fight against, it's going to win out," she told me and lunged for me again.

I dodged it rather easily, grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back, forcing her to the ground. "I suppose you forgot in that year of Darkness that Dad decided it'd be good for me to do some hand to hand combat classes to release some anger. I think this more than proves that I'm capable of handling myself against you because I _know_ who I really am," I stated.

Then I felt it. I felt that chill that I was slowly coming to accept was indicative of Darkness around me. In the shadows, where the other me came from, I saw movement. I swallowed loudly and let the other JC go, staggering back in the process. "You may know who the weak you is, but you don't know me. This is my domain, and when it comes to here, you can't handle yourself, you and I both know that," she said and smirked again.

And there was that feeling again. That desire to both run away and run straight to it. No, _no._ I wouldn't do either, I wouldn't let her win. "Spirit," I called, "please come to me!"

She started laughing wickedly again, "God are you ever dumb! Do you really…think…" bad JC trailed off, eyes widened and looking a bit frightened as she looked to the sky behind me.

I didn't get a chance to see what was going on. All I heard was a ferocious roar and then I was staring at the white ceiling above my bed. I was sweating, shaking, and my breathing was heavy as hell. The only two thoughts going through my mind were 'WTF?' and 'holy shit!'

"It was only a dream," I mumbled to myself and turned on my side, "only a dream, only a dream, only a dream." And even as I said that, a few tears escaped as cold, sheer fear settled into me. "It was only a dream," I said again, but as I said it, I knew I wouldn't be sleeping again for the rest of the night. Not after that, I just couldn't. Maybe I just wouldn't sleep ever again, that seemed the best way to solve all these weird/freaky assed dream issues.

Once I had calmed myself down enough so that I didn't sound like I was having an asthma attack and didn't feel like I was in an earthquake, I looked at the time. It was noon, and getting on my thought process from earlier (anything so long as it wasn't the dream), I figured Ally was awake by now. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and flipped it open, sending a text message to my best friend and waited.

I had my phone on vibrate luckily, so it didn't wake anyone up when it went off. But I left it in my hoodie pocket, I jumped probably three feet in the air in surprise. When I realized it was just my phone, I smirked at myself and opened up the message. It was only two words, call me.

I let out a small sigh and looked around the room. Gwen, Quinn, Duch, and Oreo were all asleep, I couldn't do that. I typed out a quick response (I can't, my roommate is asleep and it's past curfew) and hit send.

Buzz. 'Damn it, I was hoping to hear your voice. How're you doing?'

'Eh, alright. I should be asleep right now, but I can't. How's everything there?'

'Good, it isn't nearly the same without you though. Did you hear Pete asked out JT?'

'Good! It's about damn time!'

'Good? How can you say GOOD? He even said that you told him to do it!'

'I did…that's why I say good. Al, it isn't going to work between us, I'm a freaking vamp! He deserves to be happy, I'm just glad he finally grew the set to do it.'

'*sigh* JC, you confuse me.'

'Lol, I'm a complex person. How're you doing?'

'I miss you, school is so lonely and boring now!'

'I'm sorry, I really do wish I could be there.'

'I do too, but it's alright. When's the visitation in Tulsa? I really wanna come down.'

'I don't know…' I paused and sighed, debating if I should tell her, 'I may not be here for it anyway. I may be transferring.'

'What? Why?'

'They can't teach me everything I need to know here.'

'I thought Tulsa was one of the better House of Nights out there.'

I paused and looked at my phone. Should I launch her into this? Ally was my best friend since the crib…she had every right to know. Sighing, I flipped my phone around and pushed some of my hair off of my forehead. I took a picture (my flash was on but it didn't seem to bother anyone) and sent it to her. I expected the next text to come.

'YOU'RE MARK IS PURPLE!'

'Yup…'

'Explain, NOW!'

'Ok, this'll be a while.' I launched into my explanation about what exactly a Spirit vamp was via text (by far the most interesting way to explain it). Of course this, and all of the previous messages, were in chat speak and had lots of smileys because we were teenage girls, but it was still pretty long. When I was finished, I think I had sent Ally into a state of shock. That, and by the time I was done it was nearly one. She said it was an amazing story and she would text me later, she had to go shopping with her mother.

I said bye and told her to have fun and then proceeded to stare at my ceiling some more, trying to figure out what to do next. I remembered I had some homework to do, and after grabbing my iPod and my laptop quietly, I collapsed back onto my bed and started to work on my paper for Music 101. That took me to 4:00 (around three hours in total) in order to get an edited and well prepared paper…and with all of that done my eyelids were heavy.

My body was screaming at me to sleep. But every time I closed my eyes, I would only get flashes of that dream…and I was awake again. My body needed sleep in order to function, but my mind easily won out in this instance because it was still functional and probably still running off adrenaline, so I listened to my iPod on low and stared at the ceiling some more. I must have fallen asleep eventually, because that was the last thing I remembered before Gwen was shaking me awake.

"JC, c'mon, it's almost ten," she said and shook my shoulder again, "I normally wouldn't care and let you sleep, but I know for a fact that you need to be doing stuff today, so again I say _get up!"_

I groaned and cracked open my eyes to look up at my roommate. "What are you talking about ten? It was only four," I grumbled and turned my head to look at the clock. Huh, it was 9:58, where the hell did the time go? "I must have fallen asleep again," I said and tried to remember if I had any more scary dreams. I couldn't remember anything, so I figured sheer exhaustion just won out in the end.

"Again?" Gwen asked and rolled back onto the heels of her feet, "why were you up at four?"

"I woke up from a dream and just couldn't go back to sleep. I think I'm becoming an insomniac," I answered and sat up in bed, "but it did allow me to get my music paper done. So hey, maybe no sleep will be a help," I sighed and rubbed at my eyes.

"Until exhaustion hits you and you get sick or collapse from it," she retorted, "have you always had problems sleeping?"

"No, it's just been since I got here really," I answered and got out of bed, "and no, that's probably not a good thing…but honestly, what am I to do?"

"_Talk to us about it,"_ Quinn answered and I looked down to her.

"I am talking to you, Quinn," I said.

"_You're holding back,"_ she said and met my eye, not wavering, "_what else is it, JC? I'm not going to let you fall back into this phase."_

I sighed. My dog knew me better than anyone, and she would be able to pick that up too. "_Later,"_ I stated and looked back to Gwen.

"So the weird dreams?" she asked.

"Maybe my powers taking affect, maybe just weird dreams, maybe something else. I don't really know," I shrugged. And that was the truth, I was having some weird ass dreams, but I really didn't know why out of those three options…or the plenty of others. "What I do know is that they're annoying and freaky and part of the reason why I'm not sleeping, something'll change eventually, I'll make sure of it," I added and grabbed some clothes.

Gwen just sighed and shook her head, "you'll do something about it?"

"Of course, it's not like I don't _want_ to sleep," I said and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

"Ok, fine," she sighed, "what do you have planned for today?" she asked from the other side of the door.

"Well, I intended to go down to the library and read as well as see anything else that might be there. Then I was going to see about that meeting with Neferet. That's about it, though the reading will probably take a good portion of the day," I answered and grunted as I did the pants dance (for the record, the pants dance is the thing you do when you try to pull your pants over your butt because they fell down or are off or something of the sorts).

"Didn't Lenobia tell you not to let anyone see one of those books?"

"Yeah, but it isn't that hard to hide that book in another book. The other one is from the library, I checked," I said while throwing my shirt on. It probably muffled my voice, which was why she asked the next question.

"Come again?" Gwen asked and giggled.

"Sorry, changing clothes," I said and combed my fingers through my hair. I just didn't feel like using a hairbrush, "I said yeah she did, but it isn't hard to hide it in another book. The other one is actually from the library, I checked that," I repeated.

"You just don't want to stay in here do you?" she asked, though knew the answer to it.

"If I stay in this room another day, I'll probably go stir crazy. One thing to know about me, I need a change of scenery, even if it's in the same school," I answered and started brushing my teeth.

"Fair enough. Are you almost done in there?" she called.

I attempted to answer around my toothbrush, but it all came out as gargle. What was meant to be "yes I am" came out more like "mmf muh mam." So I walked out of the bathroom, nodded, and held up my hand to signal for a minute, then went back in to spit and rinsed my mouth out. "Ok, done. I'm gonna assume you're going to use the bathroom now, so I'm just going to say now that I'm grabbing something to eat and going straight to the library. You don't need me for anything, do you?"

"I'm just taking some down time today, nothing too important," Gwen answered, sliding past me and going into the bathroom.

"Are you staying with Maggie?" I asked a bit warily. I really didn't want her to be alone, even if we didn't know _that much_ about the vision.

"Yeah, I am," she responded and popped her head out the door, "we're taking care of it."

I nodded, "good, then have fun in the bathroom," I joked, "I'll see you later tonight," I added and went out of the room with my books, Quinn on my heels.

"_Ok, now what the hell is going on with you?"_ Quinn demanded as we walked down the steps.

"_Seriously, can we at least get out of the dorm before I start explaining?"_ I asked and sighed, "_look, I'll tell you when we get to the library alright? I'd like to be alone before I say anything, even if it is with you,"_ I stated and went into the kitchen and inwardly groaned. My _great friend_ Dee had beaten me to getting in here!

I attempted to get around the kitchen without her noticing me, all I need was a bowl, those Frosted Cheerios Maggie ate yesterday, some milk, and a spoon. She didn't seem to be in the way of any of that, and she was too busy chatting with one of her presumed minions for her to notice me. I would have made it too had I not slipped on a small puddle of spilt water and slammed into her. Stupid gracelessness.

"Watch where you're going, huh bitch?" Dee growled and spun around to meet my gaze. The anger in her cold, brown eyes turned to something more of a wicked sense of humor and she grinned like a predator trapping its prey, "oh, JC, well hello." Just to make clear, I sure as hell wasn't going to be an easy prey in this instance.

"Dee, hi!" I squealed in an overly high-pitched voice. "I haven't seen you since last night! My Goddess, how are you?" I asked and rolled my eyes. If I didn't know that sarcasm was the reason I could pull this off, I would probably have to kill myself. Really, if I could pull off the stupid, popular, stuck-up bitches this well without sarcasm, I would _not_ be able to live with myself. "All I want is a spoon and I'm out of your way," I said and tried to get past her.

Instead, she bumped her arm into me and managed to spill the milk and cereal in my bowl all over my shirt. "Oops, I was just going to get out of your way. I'm so _clumsy_," Dee said sweetly and smiled.

"Bitch," I growled and threw the now empty bowl on the counter, hands balling up into fists. "What the hell is your problem?" I demanded.

"Whatever do you mean, JC?" Dee asked innocently, looking hurt, "it was just an accident! I didn't mean to!" she exclaimed.

I was about to retort when Quinn stopped me. "_Calm down, JC,"_ she warned, "_she's playing you. Don't fall for it."_

I stopped and looked around. We had drawn attention apparently, and a lot of girls were now watching quietly. She _was_ playing me! "Right, sorry. It's just that I took a shower and I washed this shirt. Surely you can forgive me for snapping? It hasn't been easy to adjust and all and I haven't been sleeping well, I'm just tired and a bit crabby," I explained and fell back into my previous routine.

Dee looked surprised, probably not intending for it to turn this way. Hah! I just beat her at her own game, she had to keep face with the majority of the girls here who weren't her minions too, meaning she kind of had to play nice! Oh psychological warfare, how much fun you truly are. "Of course, JC, it's ok. We all know it can be hard to adjust," she nodded and attempted a genuine smile. It looked faker than the mustache I had when I was a policeman in the second grade play (and I think I just used a Stevie Rae statement there).

"Thanks for being so understanding. I suppose I should go change now," I said and grabbed an apple instead and my books, which had been untouched (thank Goddess!) before leaving with Quinn. I went back to my room and went straight to my closet, stripping off my shirt (which was luckily the only thing wet) and digging for a new one.

I didn't even notice Gwen sitting on the edge of her bed in a robe until she spoke up. "Ok, whoa, what the _hell_ are you doing?" she exclaimed and looked away from me.

"Huh? Sorry, I thought you were still in the shower," I said and put on a new shirt, "Dee decided it'd be fun to mess around with me and she 'accidentally' spilled my breakfast all over me. I needed to change," I explained and smirked when she still didn't look at me, "really, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize you were here, I'm dressed, you can look again," I promised.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect that," Gwen mumbled and looked back, blushing, "I didn't see anything, I swear."

Why was she so uncomfortable? Oh yeah, right, _that_. I smiled, "it's alright, seriously, I wasn't worried or even thinking about _that_ problem. You love Maggie, I know that," I shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, silly! I told you from the start that I was okay with it all," I said, "I mean, if I can strip in front of my lesbian roommate without even thinking about it, then clearly I'm secure enough with myself and okay and trusting enough of you to be able to do it. It's fine, and my fault anyway for not paying attention. And after that awkward explanation, let's move on," I explained in one breath, "ok, now that I'm redressed I'm going down to the library."

"Well um…again I say, have fun," Gwen responded and nodded, "thanks for the interesting morning."

"Heh, thanks, and not a problem I guess," I shrugged as I closed the door to our room again. The moment we were out of earshot, my dog burst out laughing.

"_That was so awkward it was hysterical!"_ Quinn howled as we went back down the steps (ok, not literally howled…but, yeah).

"_Alright, alright, get your shots in now,"_ I said and rolled my eyes, "_that was a sheer accident. I feel horrible it happened, but ah well. It isn't the worst thing that happened today. Actually, it probably ranks last on my list right now,"_ I sighed, and it was sad to say that was true.

"_Right,"_ she agreed and sobered up some, "_so you were supposed to explain to me what's going on between you and sleep. We're going to the library and…"_ she trailed off as we stepped out of the dorms, "_we're alone now. Start spilling."_

Ugh, I shouldn't have said anything. "_I don't really know how to start explaining it. I woke up from a weird dream where I was talking to myself…but the other me wasn't exactly me,"_ I started to explain, not feeling safe to explain it allowed.

"_I'm lost."_

I sighed and nodded, "_ok, do you remember that time I told you about how, after my mom and Daniel died I fell into that really bad depression and anger issues and stuff?"_ I asked.

Quinn nodded and I continued, "_I think that other side of me decided to confront me last night, it was…ugh,"_ I trailed off and shuddered. She looked at me in confusion and I sighed, "_I don't really know how to explain this, like I said. It was…it was Dark me, that's all I can say. I had a conversation with Dark me last night in my dream, and she told me that she could feel Darkness calling to her and that she was getting stronger…and there's nothing I can do about it."_

We were quiet for a long while and I could tell my dog was thinking. "_Well, it was only just a dream, right?"_ she asked once we were in the library.

"_That's what I kept telling myself,"_ I admitted and sat down at a table, setting one book down and holding the other one close to me, "_but it was…too real. I don't know what to believe it was because I have been noticing these things…or the anger issues more coming back a bit. Really, I'm starting to question if I'm just losing my damn mind altogether."_

_ "You're just a naturally defensive girl, and you have every right to be. The anger issues are because other people are provoking you, nothing that bad. Maybe it's in one of the books?"_ Quinn offered warily.

I used to be able to handle myself though, I almost pummeled Dee in there and I would _never _do that before. But maybe Quinn was right, everything in me _hoped_ she was right. I shrugged and flipped open the one in front of me, "I suppose there's only one way to find out," I muttered and took to reading. About an hour and a half later, I had read everything Lenobia marked and anything that could be remotely connected to the race, to come up with absolutely _nothing_ on anything I, or the two fledglings I Marked, had gone through or could go through. It gave me a brief history lesson in more or less words, meaning it alluded to our past existence but didn't outright say it, but that was it.

"Well that was a complete waste of time…Quinn are you still alive?" I asked and looked around for her. Goddess only knows she was getting herself into some kind of trouble.

"_Just exploring,"_ I got a response and saw a red and white head poke around one of the bookcases, "_are you done?"_

"No, just taking a break. I'm gonna call my dad, make sure he got home and has heard about the funeral, I'm hoping he'll come down for tomorrow," I said and pulled out my phone from my pocket.

I sighed, pressing the speed dial and putting the phone to my ear, waiting for my father to answer. "Hey Jen, I know you're on a different schedule, but it is getting kind of late for us humans," Dad answered, but he was being nice I knew.

"Sorry, I know, I was done with reading though and remembered I wanted to call you about the funeral coming up…"

"Sylvia has already contacted me about it," he cut me off, "and offered me to be a pall bearer. They're having a Catholic funeral for her?" he asked in surprise.

"Neither Zoey nor I know much about it, but John set it up…so yeah, apparently," I answered.

"That's not right…not for Linny," he sighed and I could hear him shaking his head. So…I suppose I should give the family explanation. My dad and Zoey's biological father (whose name is Henry by the way) went to the same high school and were good friends, that was how my dad met my mom. Dad then met Aunt Linda at a part time job he was holding through college, and they became friends. My father introduced Aunt Linda and Henry and that's how that relationship started off. Dad was Henry's best man at the wedding…and Henry was Dad's. None of us, however, intended for Henry to bail on his family…and my father felt really bad for introducing them for the longest time because of what happened. We're an…interestingly entwined family.

"I said the same thing…but that's what's going on. You're going, that's for sure?" I asked to change the topic somewhat.

"Of course I'm going!" Dad exclaimed, "I didn't even know…I mean, I was shell-shocked when I found out, but _at the very least _going for Linda and Sylvia and their children. It's gotta be hard on them, we both know that," he admitted.

I sighed and looked up toward the ceiling, "I know, and I'm sad to know that it happened to them too, without Henry it's gotta be hard."

"But they have Sylvia, and that is good," he agreed, "and I suppose I will see you there tomorrow."

"You will," I nodded in agreement. That would be kind of nice since I hadn't seen my dad for a near two weeks before I was Marked. I was about to say something else when I felt that sudden chill creep through my body. I looked up to find Neferet walking in and grumbled. "Hey Dad, the High Priestess just walked in and I need to talk to her about a couple things, including the funeral. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, not a problem Jen," I could hear Dad smiling. Really, he had no clue, "I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Jennybeth."

"Bye Dad," I responded a bit absently and snapped my phone closed. I lunged for the book by Kier that was still on the table and shoved it into my jacket a moment before Neferet spotted and reached me. And here we go.


	23. We're Going to Skye

**A/N: The third and final chapter I'm posting for the night. Um...don't forget to review...and for the love of God vote on my poll! I know you're all probably getting annoyed with me saying this...especially for three consecutive chapters, but I can't stress this enough. I really want to know what you think so I can write the funeral the way you guys want to see it! Especially because the books didn't do this, I'm really curious to know what you all want to see.**

**Small warning towards the end. Again, the tiniest bit racy...but it's from JC's viewpoint and really...it's just funny.**

**So vote and review! That's all I've got to say.**

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

"Jennifer, hello," Neferet nodded and smiled at me, "what are you doing, may I ask?"

"Reading," I stated simply and pointed at the book, "Lenobia found this and figured that I should read it, it makes some allusions to my race in the past. So that's what I was doing," I shrugged. "But I was actually looking for you," I added, "I wanted to know if I could get a pass out of school for tomorrow. As you know, Zoey's mom passed a few days ago and her family is holding a funeral. Since she is family, I would like to be there as well, both for my cousin and everyone else," I explained.

Neferet looked me over a moment then around the library. We were alone, which did not bid well for me. "And why should I grant you that request?" she asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Because you're going to need a damn good reason as to why you wouldn't. What's worse than denying a grieving niece from going to her aunt's funeral and being there for her mourning cousin who just so happens to be her Charge?" I retorted and crossed my arms, smirking just a bit.

"I could always say that you are behind in school," Neferet shrugged easily.

"I've been here for one day of class and everything I needed to get done is done. I'll grab everything and prove it if I have to," I challenged.

"I will say you are a challenging one, and I do love a challenge," she conceded slightly, "and fair, I will grant you this pass and inform your teachers. I will even allow Zoey to go without asking as well. Consider it out of the kindness of my heart," she grinned sarcastically. I didn't know which was creepier, crazy mean Neferet or crazy nice Neferet.

I looked around her, the Darkness swirling there. One tendril reached out to try and grasp at my hand, I repelled it by using Spirit quickly, allowing the element to curl around my fingers. "You and I both know there is no kindness in your heart," I said and met her eyes. They betrayed sick amusement, "and one more thing. I would like to call a Council meeting in about a half an hour…and this isn't based on me but the High Council. Both they and we would like to talk about the current situation."

The amusement turned into annoyance in a second, "they share this with a fledgling but not with me. Just another reason why I need…" Neferet trailed off and looked back to me, "very well, Jennifer, that will be done. Please inform those needed at the meeting," she ordered and briskly turned around, walking out of the library in annoyance.

"_Crazy assed bitch,"_ Quinn grumbled and came to sit beside me.

I burst out laughing and nodded, "very true. Ok, so there's a Council meeting in a half an hour…should probably call and let them know that," I sighed and pulled my phone back out, calling Zoey.

"JC?" a groggy response came from the other end, "what's going on?" Zoey asked sleepily. It…wait…it was past 11:30, shouldn't she be awake by now? Then I remembered the rendezvous I witnessed last night and that was probably the reason she was still sleeping, she didn't need to be up. I let out a disturbed shudder before finding my voice.

"There's a Council meeting in a half an hour, I need you guys here, meaning _all of you_ aside from the red fledglings," I answered directly.

"What's going on?" I heard faintly in the background and realized it was Stark. "And there's something else we need to talk about too, but that can be dealt with after the meeting," I added.

"A half an hour? Way to give us some time," Zoey responded, but I could hear her getting up.

"Well, maybe if you and your Guardian didn't spend half the night feeling each other up, you wouldn't _need_ so much time," I retorted and sighed, shaking my head, "seriously, just gather everyone and get here _please!_"

"How did…no, never-mind," she let it go luckily for me, "we'll be there, don't worry. Where are you?"

"I'm in the library, meet me there and we'll go together. It'd be best if Aphrodite and Rephaim are with me when we go…Rephaim is awake, yes?" I asked.

"Yeah, he woke up last night sometime, I'll make sure to do that then," she at least sounded awake now, "we'll see you soon JC, bye."

I muttered a goodbye and shoved my phone back in my pocket again. "_Hey Quinn, is anyone around?"_ I asked, noticing she had disappeared again.

"_It's just you, me, and the librarian that's in here now. You know, typical students don't study over the weekend,"_ she responded.

"_Ok thanks,"_ I said, deciding to ignore her jab at me. Sitting back down at the table I was at, I quietly pulled out the other book I had and flipped open to the table of contents. There were two questions on my mind that I hoped would be answered in this book. I was more hopeful when I noticed that 'Charges' was a chapter.

Skipping half the stuff I could read later, I opened up to that chapter and started reading. That took me to the time of everyone getting there, but it was extremely helpful. Basically, the connection between a Guide and a Charge was based on the soul, a spiritual connection. This spiritual connection was done to give the Guide a way to protect their Charge spiritually and slip into and/or find the soul in case anything goes wrong. Well, no duh, but because of that spiritual connection, it was also easy, especially for a newly bound pair, for the Guide to be pulled into the mind and soul of their Charge when their soul is overcharged with emotions, good or bad. That apparently happened a lot when soul-mates were together. Zoey and Stark + overcharged happiness and pleasure and desire when they were with their soul-mate = me getting sucked into both of their souls while they were making love…hence the near experience of mind sex.

I ended the chapter when someone entered the library. Snapping the book shut out of instinct and shoving it in my jacket, I looked up to see Zoey, the circle, and my fledglings coming along with the two Warriors toward me. "Good, just in time. Now we all turn around and go to the Council room," I announced, getting up with my stuff and letting out a whistle to Quinn. She, of course, appeared a moment later.

"Would you care to tell us what's going on, oh leader of mine?" Aphrodite asked sarcastically, falling in step beside me as we walked out of the library, "why the hell did Zoey and Stark round all of us up to come here?"

"Council meeting in approximately two minutes with the High Council. Let's just say I had a little e-mail conversation with Duantia and she may or may not approve of all of us going to Sgiach. And let's just say I would like for _her_ to be the one to tell Neferet," I answered.

"You…wow," Aphrodite snickered, "I cannot wait to see Neferet's reaction to this. She's going to shit a flying pig."

"How did you manage to do this, Priestess?" Darius asked next to us.

"Call me JC please, this whole priestess thing is still too weird and new," I said and smirked a bit, "and I suppose proper wording and reasoning. When it comes to something like this, all you need to do is sound smart and logical to get people on your side."

"That's how Neferet does it," Zoey nodded.

"Because this shit is totally logical," Aphrodite rolled her eyes, "whatever…if you think you managed to get us to Skye, then we'll go with it."

"It'll work out, I promise that," I said as we walked into the meeting room. It was kind of awkward since everyone else needed was already there, and we just stood around and stared at each other for a good couple of moments.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Dragon asked, breaking the silence by glaring at Rephaim.

"Rephaim has been Marked as one of my fledglings," I said evenly, "as has Aphrodite."

"You have _Marked_ fledglings?" Neferet asked in surprise, "you are no tracker."

"And yet Nyx wishes to see my race grow. The Markings were not meant to happen, but they did, from me. It is nothing but the will of Nyx and my element," I explained and sat down at the table, as did everyone else.

"How could Nyx allow such a beast to become a fledgling?" Dragon asked again, glaring at Rephaim.

"She accepted his apology didn't she?" Stevie Rae asked back, placing a hand on Rephaim's arm.

I sighed, every muscle in my body was rigid. I did not like power, I did not like speaking, and I did not like how this could turn out, "does it really matter at this point? What happened happened, we can't change it now. Rephaim and Aphrodite are my fledglings, end of discussion. There are other things that need to be discussed anyway, have we connected to the High Council?" I asked.

"Just now," Lenobia answered and turned her computer to face everyone. Duantia and Thanatos were there once again.

"Merry meet everyone," Duantia nodded to us, "it is rare for us to meet so soon after a previous meeting, but Jennifer has requested our presence here."

"You requested for this?" Neferet asked and eyed me.

"I did," I nodded, "I would like for them to explain as to why the students in the room and the red fledglings would like to transfer to the newly opened House of Night on the Isle of Skye. If they would not mind, that is," I added.

I could see Neferet's jaw clench and the Darkness in the room got two times worse, "you would like to transfer? Why did you not come see me first?"

"Actually, we requested for her to see if she could transfer based on Queen Sgiach's wishes. When she explained to us that Sgiach had said it would be okay, and then that she had two fledglings, we figured it for the best that they all transferred to the Isle of Skye. That is the best place for them to learn in our opinion, even if our ties with Sgiach are weak we are looking out for the best for these fledglings," Thanatos explained.

"Yeah, and I figured that it would be better to just go to the High Council with this problem. After everything that's been going on here, I knew you were a busy person Neferet," I added and smiled kindly. Aphrodite, who was sitting next to me, had to cough to keep from laughing.

"Well…that is very kind of you, Jennifer," the ex-High Priestess forced out, "Duantia, I mean no disrespect, but these students are _my_ fledglings and I would like to think that I have a say in where they are taught and how."

"And if these were normal students, you would," Duantia agreed, "however, the Spirit fledglings need a special kind of teaching, something that cannot be provided in Tulsa. Jennifer, Aphrodite, and Rephaim are going to the Isle of Skye, there is no other choice there."

"And what about Darius and Stevie Rae?" Zoey asked, "Darius is Aphrodite's Warrior and Stevie Rae is Rephaim's mate and priestess."

"Darius is no longer a student, he is free to go wherever he chooses," Thanatos answered, "however, is it true that Rephaim is Stevie Rae's Warrior?"

"I pledged my oath to her and she accepted as well as she is my Charge," Rephaim answered.

"Whoa, timeout, she is now?" I asked, looking over to Rephaim and Stevie Rae.

My fledgling held up his right arm and sure enough, there was a violet Charge Mark around his wrist. "And yeah, he pledged his oath the moment he woke up," Stevie Rae added and grinned up at him.

Well this was news to me, but this was good news. "As a priestess and a Charge, Stevie Rae should go as well," I spoke out and turned back to everyone else, "the Charge is the same reason I would like Zoey and Stark to accompany us as well."

"Surely Duantia you cannot approve these all!" Neferet cried out, "they are _my_ fledglings. They haven't even spoken to me about this transfer!"

"No, but Jennifer has spoken to us about it," Duantia answered, "and the arguments she presented us are valid reasons as to why they should be allowed to transfer."

"And what are these arguments?" she asked, turning to me.

"Aphrodite, Rephaim, and I need to transfer, that is based on the High Council's request. If that is to happen, Darius goes because of Aphrodite, and now Stevie Rae goes because of Rephaim. Since Stark and Zoey are _my_ Charges, it would really be best for them to go as well so we can _all_ learn what Charges are about. If Stevie Rae and Stark go, by default the red fledglings have to go since there are no adult vampyres for them…"

"They were around me before Stevie Rae even became a red fledgling, let alone a High Priestess," Neferet cut in.

"Yeah, and look at what they were before. Bloodthirsty, evil creatures of Darkness, they need their High Priestess," I retorted.

"There are still bad red fledglings," Dragon pointed out.

"Who chose not to follow Stevie Rae," Zoey agreed.

"You believe Stevie Rae is needed for the red fledglings?" Thanatos asked.

"Yes," the entirety of our group said together, including Lenobia.

"You say yes, Lenobia, maybe you can eloquently answer us as to why," Duantia suggested.

"I have seen both the pre and post red fledglings , and the good and bad red fledglings now. After Stevie Rae chose Light and the red fledglings became red fledglings, those who followed her are no different than they were before death. Those who chose not to are exactly like JC said, bloodthirsty, evil creatures of Darkness who, if it was not stated, attacked JC and Rephaim as well as the others. Stevie Rae clearly had something to do with these differences between the two, and it is safer to allow the red fledglings to stay with their High Priestess than risk them staying here," Lenobia explained her reasoning.

"Is it true these other red fledglings choose not to follow Stevie Rae?"

Neferet clenched her jaw at Thanatos's question, "yes, that is true."

"And what do you feel of this, Red Priestess?" Duantia asked.

"Oh…merry meet! Again, it's an honor to be talking to you. If you grant me the permission to go, I would like my fledglings to be with me," Stevie Rae nodded, "for the exact reasons Lenobia gave."

"The key word in there is _if_," Neferet grumbled and crossed her arms. She resembled a pouting child to me…a _psychotic_, _evil_, pouting child…but a pouting child none the less.

"Neferet, why do you oppose this so much?" Thanatos asked.

"They are my fledglings and have not even told me of this plan. I wish they had so I would have been better prepared for this," she answered, "and JC can hardly know how good the classes are here, she has only been here for one school day."

"There is only one person here currently who can help me with what I am. And as much as Lenobia has done for me, she is only one person who was not born during those times. I know I will not get much else here, and just look at what has happened with Zoey and her circle around here…it would be safer and more helpful for them to learn under a safer, more magickal environment," I responded calmly, "and I apologize for not taking this to you first, Neferet, but like I said…I assumed you were busy handling other things."

"Yes but…"

"Neferet, enough," Thanatos ordered and she snapped her mouth shut, "you have had your say in this matter, as have you, Jennifer. Though this should have been brought to you first Neferet, I agree, it was brought to us and it is our matter now. Anything surrounding the Spirit fledglings is our matter. Jennifer, Rephaim, and Aphrodite are going to transfer to Skye. Zoey, Stevie Rae, and Stark are to go as well in order to learn about Charges, and neither of us want to take the risk with the red fledglings."

"I will not go against what you see as best," Neferet finally conceded and I felt like an elephant was lifted off my shoulders. If she were to go against the High Council, things could've gotten bad really fast…and we _all_ would have been screwed.

"And my circle? Seeing as they have affinities for elements and two of them are already going, what about Damien, Shaunee, and Erin?" Zoey asked.

"Two?" I asked quietly. Stevie Rae was the only one going.

"I'll explain in a bit," she whispered back.

"Where are these fledglings?" Duantia asked and Lenobia moved the laptop to get a glimpse of the other three. "These are the fledglings with an affinity for Air, Fire, and Water correct?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am…merry meet," Damien responded shyly.

"Merry meet," the Twins added, bowing together.

"This is certainly a special group of fledglings here," Thanatos commented, "how do you feel your learning has been here?"

"Before everything started, the basics of the vampyre regime were being taught well. But once I discovered my affinity and some of the issues arose, my learning has been lacking, and I have had very little help on my affinity aside from what I can learn myself or what Zoey has discovered," Damien explained. Smart boy.

"That's exactly it," Erin nodded.

"Damien put it best," Shaunee agreed.

"Then it may be beneficial for them to go as well," Duantia mumbled and glanced to Thanatos.

"If they have yet to learn much about their affinity here, then it will be helpful for them. We know what Sgiach knows and what and how she can teach it," Thanatos agreed, "teaching these fledglings will only do them good."

"So that's a yes?" Zoey asked tentatively.

"It would be a smart idea," Duantia nodded, "that would be a yes. We shall get in touch with Queen Sgiach right after this is done to tell her the news, and that is our final decision." I spared a glance at Neferet after that and…ooh did she not look happy. Hell yeah!

"Thank you Duantia, Thanatos, blessed be," my cousin nodded.

"Blessed be to you all," Duantia repeated and the computer screen went black.

"Well," I said after a moment of silence. I admit, I was feeling pretty good and a bit cocky now after that, "I suppose that settles that."

Neferet, scowling, let out a growl, got up, and stormed out of the room, leaving a strong trail of Darkness behind her. Still, I couldn't help but to smirk just a bit. We just succeeded in our curveball. Taking that as a sign, we all got up to leave. Dragon was the first to leave without saying a word. The only emotion he showed at all was when he slightly shoved Rephaim out of the way to leave.

Lenobia came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder, but gave a very slight smile to all of us. "You did very well, all of you. Congratulations on getting this," she nodded in satisfaction to us before slipping out of the room. Erik was not there, so that just left us.

"He still does not accept me," Rephaim said, staring out the door from where Dragon left.

"You killed his mate, Rephaim, it is a hard act to forgive," I told him gently when we started out there and no one else would. Honestly, I felt bad for him and he was going to have a hell of a way to go now as a fledgling…but I knew and understood where Dragon was coming from.

"Nyx forgave him," Stevie Rae told me defensively.

"Yes, she did, and I honestly believe it was the right thing to do. Rephaim wants to walk the path of Light, and so long as he doesn't prove otherwise, he deserves it," I said, "and while I believe Dragon should forgive you…I understand why he hasn't yet. The death of a loved one at the hands of another is…it's an emotion you can't even begin to describe," I explained and looked at Zoey.

"Give him time," she agreed, "Dragon is a genuinely good person, he will come around."

"So…on the topic of death," I started and paused when they all looked at me, "yeah I know, horrible segue but it needs to be done since you guys will be leaving again. The funeral?"

"Crap…I totally forgot to ask about that!" Zoey exclaimed.

"Got ya covered," I said, "Neferet gave me permission and you too. Though now that she's fuming, it may change…but oh well. The likelihood we'd...or at least I would listen to that is at a -2 anyway. What are the times and all of that? Is it just us two going?" I asked.

"Yes…"

"No," Zoey and Stark responded at the same time and looked at each other.

I sighed and put my head in my hands. "Do I have to solve everything around here?" I asked rhetorically and looked at everyone else. "You guys can get a head start to the car, this won't take long," I promised.

Once they got a head start, I looked between Zoey and Stark. "You do realize that if you go tomorrow, you'll burn up in the sun?" I asked, looking at Stark.

"Not if it's cloudy," he retorted.

"Yeah, and despite all the odd weather around here…it's supposed to be sunny and clear tomorrow," I stated and crossed my arms, "Stark, you shouldn't go."

"Yeah, I'd rather have a fully functional boyfriend not at a funeral than a crispy boyfriend at a funeral," Zoey agreed.

Fully functional boyfriend…I shuddered again at the thought. "Another thing we have to talk about," I muttered but shook my head, "point being Stark, for your own well-being you shouldn't go."

"But if Z needs something…it _is_ her mother's funeral," Stark said and looked to my cousin.

"You do realize that we are family, right?" I asked and motioned between me and her, "I'm fairly certain I'll be able to handle it."

"I'll be ok," Zoey told him, "it's…shocking still, but I'll be alright."

"Yeah…but still…"

I sighed and looked away a moment. I didn't really want to talk about it, but I would if it put him at ease. "You do realize that I've been through this before, right?" I asked.

"Yeah…wait, you have?" Stark asked.

"JC, you don't…"

"But I will," I cut Zoey off, "yes, I have. When I was seven, my mother and brother got into a car accident. An apparent drunk driver sideswiped them into a ravine. Neither of them survived and they still haven't caught the bastard that did it. But…yeah," I shook my head to clear everything away, "I've been through this before and I know what it's like. It'll be ok, I promise I'll be there for her."

"Either way I'm not going to let you go," my cousin added, "just to let you know."

"I'm sorry…I didn't know," Stark muttered and looked down, "I guess I don't really have a choice now, do I? I've got two girls going against me who I'm pretty sure could kick my ass easily," he chuckled.

"Very true. And I figured we needed to leave here around two, so can you come to the tunnels around 1:30?" Zo asked.

Pushing back the lingering emotions of talking about that (and then remembering that dream…_ugh_), I smiled a bit and nodded at Zoey to indicate I would. "It's a losing situation for you. Plus, I'm connected to Zoey spiritually, which, as another awesome segue, we need to talk about as well," I said and looked between them, "if I ever experience mind sex between you two again…I swear to the Goddess I _will_ kill you both." And, now I lost them, they stared at me with complete question marks.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoey asked.

"I was pulled into your minds during your little love making session last night!" I nearly shrieked. Yeah, probably not the best thing to shout outside…but I was still a bit creeped out by it. Ok, a lot creeped out by it. "And it was horrific!"

"You…wait, what?" Stark asked. They were both confused.

"Ok, look, you two are my Charges. Apparently Charges and Guides are bound together spiritually, and when the soul of the Charge or Charges are over-flooded with emotions, positive or negative, it is possible, especially for a newly made Spirit vamp or a newly bound Charge/Guide pairing, for the Guide to be pulled into the soul of their Charge. Kind of like telepathy, except a full body experience," I explained, "I would know…I was _there_ last night, in spirit I think, when you two were feeling each other up. Most awkward and uncomfortable moment of my life. It was worse than finding Veronica!" I exclaimed. My cousin knew about the time I found that girl in the bathroom with her boy toy.

"Oh my Goddess," Zoey exclaimed and covered her mouth. Her cheeks were red as hell from embarrassment, but I could hear a small giggle escape her mouth. Stark just smirked.

"This is not funny!" I shouted. I chose to ignore my dog, who had come back from getting some fresh air, who was laughing as well. "Look," I added and looked around. No one was there, so I felt it safe, "take this, read the chapter about Charges, and read my lips. I am sure as hell _not_ going to lose my virginity to Stark via you by mind/spirit sex, do you understand?" I asked, pulling the book out of my jacket.

"Loud and clear," Stark said and coughed to keep from laughing as Zoey took the book.

"Ok, I'm going to ignore this whole laughing bit ever happened and leave. Do not let _anyone_ see that book until you are in the tunnels, alright? Lenobia wants no one to see it, it's blacklisted, but you guys need to read that too," I said.

"I won't," Z promised.

"Good, I'll see you guys later then. Get there safe and call me if you need me," I said and turned away, walking with Quinn back to my dorm.

"_Well, that was an extreme amount of luck you've had for…most of the day,"_ she commented once we more towards the dorms.

"Yeah, you're telling me," I breathed and rolled my neck, thankful she chose not to comment about the mind sex conversation, "I just…can't believe it. Neferet's pissed though I'm sure."

"_In all honesty, do you really care?"_ Quinn asked.

"No, not really," I answered in agreement, "it still doesn't necessarily bode well for us though."

"_And coming in here at all boded well? And doing everything you've done thus far boded well?"_ she asked and snorted, "_just face it JC, you are trouble just waiting to happen_."

I opened the door to the dorms and sighed, "_yeah, yeah I guess I can't deny that fact."_ I changed our conversation to mental because of entering the dorms. Yeah, many of the girls knew about my affinity (gossip travels hella fast), but it was still awkward walking into the dorms seemingly talking to myself, even if Quinn was with me.

"_I suppose I can see what you mean,"_ she conceded and bounded up the steps.

"_And yet, I feel like I should be more worried than I actually am…but that could just be me,"_ I shrugged and followed after her.

"_Yes JC, we all know that you're a bit different," _Quinn agreed.

"_Quinn!"_ I exclaimed and stuck my tongue out, "_thanks, I love you too."_

"_You're welcome dear," _she chuckled as I went to open the door.

"_Yeah, yeah, just remember who feeds you at night,"_ I warned teasingly and went inside. The moment I opened the door, I swear I probably looked like a gaping fish. What I saw was the absolute _last_ thing I expected. And oh…oh crap, were those the saxophone notes to DEV's "In the Dark"?

There were a few candles lit in the room, which was the only reason why I could see in the first place, it was pitch black otherwise. On Gwen's bed were my roommate and Maggie, and that wasn't so strange as to the fact about what they were doing. Gwen was lying on her back on the bed, shirtless and pantless. Maggie was on top of her, straddling Gwen by the legs…she still had her pants on, but her shirt was missing and, in the light of the candles, I saw a bra flying off of her and landing a few feet in front of me, still in the room. Well I missed this memo. _Oh holy shit!_

"Oh dear Goddess," I heard myself saying before I could stop myself. The sweet nothings and whatever the hell else they were doing stopped and they both turned to the door.

"JC!" Gwen shrieked when she saw me.

I instantly closed my eyes, turned my head and started backing out the door, stuttering and sounding like a total idiot the entire way. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know! There wasn't a damn sock on the door!" I exclaimed and shut the door the moment I could.

I took one look at Quinn, who was looking back at me in mirrored surprise, and we both hurried down the stairs and out the dorms again without a word. Once outside, I closed the door and slowly slid down the outside wall, head in hands, "dear Goddess why am I so…ugh! So smooth, JC, so, _so _smooth! Idiot, idiot, idiot!" I ridiculed myself.

"_We uh…aren't going back in there are we?" _Quinn asked hesitantly.

"Oh _hell_ no! For fuck's sake that would be weird and creepy...not to mention awkward and uncomfortable!" I exclaimed and shook my head, slowly picking myself up from the ground, "we're gonna go to the tunnels tonight, that sound good with you?"

"_Do you have your concealer?"_

"It's in my pocket, after yesterday I don't ever intend to leave without it," I nodded and patted at my jeans pocket.

"_Let's go put that on you and then yeah, let's go,"_ Quinn nodded and I followed after her to the east wall. "_You know, if I may comment, you're experiencing more action now than you ever have before in your life,"_ she joked. I glared and her ears lowered, "_bad time?"_

I nodded, "definitely." I went quickly to the east wall to put on my concealer and, shifting into a black dog, went with Quinn out of the gates (which was way easier than I expected). Once we were far enough away from the House of Night, I shifted back and walked along side Quinn. "_I'm just a girl walking her dog, not too weird,"_ I commented to her.

"_Perfectly normal,"_ she agreed, "_what are you going to do about clothes tomorrow?"_

"_I'll just borrow from Z, we're around the same size,"_ I shrugged. Easy answer. We walked the rest of the way to the depot in silence and slipped in (now that I knew how to get in) with ease. No one was up and around I noticed, and I really didn't want to be a bother.

We found ourselves in the kitchen, still without seeing anyone else and that was the point I figured screw it…I'd just use the table again_._ And that's what I did, I went over and pulled out a chair before collapsing on the table.

"_What _are_ you doing?"_ Quinn asked.

"_This was where I woke up last time, it's good enough, especially when I'll be waking up in the middle of the morning…night, whatever,"_ I explained.

"_Alrighty then, whatever floats your boat, so long as you're comfortable,"_ she agreed and curled up at my feet.

I rested my head on my arms on the table and let out a sigh before closing my eyes. This wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but oh well, I've dealt with worse. Kitchen table sleeping round two!


	24. Evil Plans

**A/N: Well...hello again. I hit a milestone in Word, actually I hit two. I'm over 200 pages and I'm over 100,000 words. Whoo!**

**So...yeah. Thanks to Nyx'sReincarnation (HoNObsessed...Tarah? I'm slow on connections) for reviewing and actually voting. And EJ, thanks...for just being you...and pointing out that I suck at homophones, because I do, it's probably the reason I can't tell the difference of 'effect' and 'affect' at all...I just give up.**

**I can't tell if I like this chapter or not, it's a really weird feeling. But oh well, it kicks everything off. I have two more big events to write and then part one is done!**

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><p><strong><span>Kalona's POV<span>**

I had been living in the Gilcrease Museum for too long. I did not like to hide, it was demeaning and not fit for me nor my sons. I should not have to hide from the Tsi Sgili, I am the elder immortal, not her. Or at least I _was_ the immortal, until I was forced to breathe life into that Guardian. Now, I was not sure what I was.

Stark. That connection was still troubling. Ever since the incident with the wolf spirit, it has become increasingly harder to use that connection. I had tried multiple times only to be repelled immediately, and last night when I tried while he was with Zoey, I was forced out only moments after. The wolf did not appear, but the presence of Spirit that wolf carried was there, so I do believe she was the reason I was forced out.

I had even tried once to find Zoey in the Realm of Dreams and could not. The connection we shared because of A-ya was blocked, non-existent even. And I was positive this wolf was the reason for that as well. It was troubling, this spirit was puzzling and hindering my path, and I actually did not have a clue as to what to do about it. I could find this information out from Stark, but that just leads back to the problem at hand.

"I could always try again," I sighed and closed my eyes, focusing my immortal powers on the connection I wanted to try to use. To my surprise, it worked. The boy was sleeping and the connection was unprotected, so I slipped into his mind with ease.

What is at the front of your mind this time? Ah, Zoey's mother's funeral was tomorrow, that was probably a cause of stress. He was not going apparently, banned by his priestess and…another girl. I dug a little further back in his memories to find the image of this girl, JC, and was delightfully surprised when I did. Seeing her Mark, it was exactly like the Mark on the wolf. This was the wa-ya I was looking for.

"When I was seven, my mother and brother got into a car accident," she said and looked sad, "an apparent drunk driver sideswiped them into a ravine. Neither of them survived and they still haven't caught the bastard that did it."

The way she said it was like a depressed child, at least to Stark, but I could pick up on something more. There was anger there, and looking at this girl in the memory, there was something else, something very slight that the boy did not pick up on. Darkness surrounded her just a bit.

I did not get the chance to look any further seeing as the wolf did appear. The image of the memory went fuzzy, but it was already too late. I had seen everything I needed to.

"You're still trying, I see," the wolf stated matter of factly, stepping between me and the rest of the connection.

"I am, little Wa-ya," I agreed and smiled just a bit.

"You need to go," she snarled and I could feel myself being repelled back.

"So it would seem," I nodded, "but I have seen enough, Wa-ya, or should I say JC? I know who you are now."

The last image I saw before opening my eyes in the museum was the wolf looking surprised and worried. I smiled in triumph, this fledgling was my proverbial card that I could use against Neferet. This was my chance. Standing up, I went back out to the balcony and momentarily reveled in the night's wind.

"Nisroc!" I called for my son.

"Yessssss father?" he landed in front of me almost immediately, bowing respectfully. Still, there was a pang of hurt as I realized Nisroc was not Rephaim. But I pushed that thought away immediately, there were far more important matters to deal with. Rephaim had chosen his path.

"I have an order for you," I stated, "I want you to deliver a message to Neferet."

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><p><strong><span>Aurox's POV<span>**

"I can't believe they did this! They undermine my power! But oh is that a mistake, oh is that _ever_ a mistake for them!" Priestess was shouting, pacing around the room. She was not happy about the meeting she had just come from apparently. She did not like Zoey and she did not like the new fledgling either. "It is a mistake, correct?"

The question was directed to me. "Yes, Priestess," I agreed and she smiled wickedly. Those little tendrils of inky blackness, the Darkness, were surrounding her, pulsing in the air.

"And _you_ will be the one to show them their mistake, yes?" Priestess asked a bit more kindly, coming over and looking up at me.

"If you so wish it," I found myself saying before I even thought. Something in me did not want me to answer that way, but Priestess had her hold over me.

"Good, good," she smiled and one tendril lapped at my face. It was painful and pleasurable at the same time.

"What is your order?"

Priestess had turned away from me, seeming to want to leave the room. She turned to look back at me, "patience, Aurox, patience. I have no order for you yet," she said.

"What is it you wish me to do now?" I asked. She must give me an order.

"I don't care!" she snapped, "there is nothing I require of you…do what you…" she stopped as something made a loud landing on the balcony off of the room we were in.

Priestess and I both turned to look at what this new thing was. Standing on the ledge of the balcony was a large, raven/human creature with glaring red eyes looking directly at us. Priestess smirked, "this night may have turned just a tad bit more interesting," she said and walked out to the balcony, I followed after her.

"What do you want, Raven Mocker?" she asked, glaring at the beast. So it was a Raven Mocker.

"Father requesssstssss a meeting," the thing hissed and looked at Priestess. I went to move in front of her, but she stopped me.

"Do not protect me," she ordered and I stopped, "and why is Kalona requesting a meeting with me?"

"He hasssss some information on a new ssssstudent he sayssss you may be interesssted in," the Raven Mocker answered through his beak.

"And what student is this?" Priestess asked, sounding slightly interested.

"He tellsssss me not."

"When does he want this meeting?" she asked.

"He tellsssss me not."

Priestess paused in thought and nodded. "Take me to him now, Raven Mocker. This meeting will be enacted right away, I wish to speak with Kalona now," she ordered.

"Father did not ssssay…"

"I do not care what your father has said, I will speak with Kalona now and you will take me to him," she snapped and a tendril of Darkness wrapped around the Raven Mocker's throat.

The beast let out a screech of pain before Darkness disappeared. He glared at Priestess with gleaming red eyes, "asssss you wish."

The Raven Mocker beat its wings twice before launching itself into the air. Priestess, to my surprise, followed after him, Darkness elevating and helping her to do so. It was surprising, and almost led me to forget to ask.

"What is your order?"

Priestess paused and looked down at me. "Stay here, protect my room to make sure _no one_ comes inside," she stated and then was off following the Raven Mocker.

Darkness lingered around in the air, and looking at it, I shuddered. The Darkness was alluring, but I did not like it one bit, and I wished it would go away while I had to stay in the room. I did not like the idea of it watching me and waiting in the corners.

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><p><strong><span>Kalona's POV<span>**

I heard the wings of my son as I waited outside of the museum for him. Looking up, he landed in front of me and bowed again, not looking me in the face. "Have you delivered the message?" I asked after he said nothing, "did she give you a time?"

"The message was delivered," I received my answer, but it did not come from Nisroc. I looked up to see the Tsi Sgili coming down on Darkness next to him, "and the message was intriguing, I must admit. What is it that you have for me, Kalona?" she asked and gave a crazed smile.

The Darkness had only grown stronger around her, throbbing with power. It was unnerving, and though I was too proud to admit it aloud, I was a bit fearful. "You give me no time to prepare my answer," I said instead and swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Just tell me," she growled out, glowering at me. It was intimidating, yet she did not need to know that.

"I may have information on one of your students that you would be interested in hearing," I stated and crossed my arms.

"You know Kalona, I am not interested in playing games," Neferet told me and approached, dragging one of her nails down my arm, Darkness following. I refused to wince, "just tell me what it is I want to know."

I sighed, "you always were an impatient one. You're newest student, JC I believe is her name, the one with the purple Mark has an attraction to Darkness."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "tell me something I don't know. Really, I figured after the first time that you would not want to be whipped by Darkness again. Give me one reason why I should not do it now," she demanded. The Darkness around her reacted, some of the tendrils approaching me. Dear Goddess she no longer needed to give a blood sacrifice for this, how is this possible?

"Do you know _why_ the Darkness is attracted to her?" I asked and the tendrils stopped.

"What do you mean?" Neferet asked, and that crazed evil _nearly_ disappeared from her face. Now she looked like a curious child intent on using information for her own, evil purposes.

"Darkness is always attracted to individuals for a certain reason. Something has always happened to them in some way or another, and that event decides the strength of the attraction. Take as an example Zoey," I started and Neferet let out a sound equivalent to a snarl. I don't know why I was explaining this to her, it could be potentially hazardous to me and my sons. "The loss of her father at a young age and her step-father were the events that allowed Darkness to be attracted to her and vice versa, she had what many of us educated in it Dark feelings. Yours stems from…"

"I can venture to guess what mine stems from!" she shouted and a tendril wrapped around my arm in warning. "And Jennifer's reason for this?" she asked and the tendril relaxed, falling away, but not without leaving a cut on my bicep that I chose to ignore.

"I'm surprised it is not in your records," I commented, and I was. Usually everything of a fledgling's history was in their records, "her mother and brother were killed in a car accident when she was young, only seven. It was an apparent drunk driver, he was never caught. Based on the way she spoke about it, even today it is still a touchy subject."

Neferet seemed to mull this over and a malicious smile spread across her face, "that is some interesting information…wait, how do you know this?"

I smirked a bit, "I have connections Neferet, I am far more powerful than you think, it is the reason you cannot hold domain over my spirit."

"Is that so?" she asked and laughed darkly, "your confidence is endearing, I will admit. Do not let it get to you though," she warned, "over-confidence was your near downfall last time, just remember that. Now tell me, this connection, can it be manipulated in my favor?"

"Anything can be manipulated by Darkness, you should very well know that by now," I answered.

"I did," Neferet responded defensively, "but is this something…'special' to Darkness?"

"The initial connection is vital for Darkness, it can turn a person very easily," I explained, "so long as you know how to do it correctly."

"Good, good, Jennifer could use some manipulation," the Tsi Sgili muttered in thought.

Well that is an interesting development. "This fledgling is bothering you?" I asked in amusement.

"Bothering? No, not bothering," Neferet answered, "she is merely a thorn in my side, causing a dull pain but nothing that I cannot take care of. She is just…a bit more reckless and challenging than Zoey is, she approaches matters in a different way and it is paying off for her more than I care for. I just…" she paused and looked up at me with ice green eyes. They flashed red and I knew this was not going to end well, "somehow you know much about this fledgling. Do you have a connection with her like you did Zoey?"

That was an interesting question. I could probably have a connection with anyone if I so chose and permitting this girl was not blocking my path, there were just some that were stronger than others for a variety of reasons, "it is possible that I do, why do you ask?"

"This girl needs to be messed with. She has focus and determination, if either of those are weakened, it will be easier to get to her. That is a job even you can't mess up," Neferet answered, "you are still a creature of Darkness I see, you should not want this girl around. She is potentially dangerous to you and your precious son," she explained, sneering the last part.

"Rephaim?" I asked, "how could a fledgling other than Stevie Rae be dangerous to my son?"

"Stevie Rae is his mate, Jennifer is his High Priestess now," she answered and snorted at the terms. My face must have been enough to get her to continue, "Rephaim was Marked by this girl."

My son was Marked? The Goddess allowed such a thing? This was…well I wasn't quite sure what this was. I was…almost happy for him and the fact my son was not going to be suffering the same fate I was, and yet I could not help but feel a bit betrayed, both by Rephaim and by Nyx. Both of them abandoned me. I would need more information on this. "I shall speak to her then," I agreed. By telling me this, Neferet knew I would agree, and I knew she knew.

"Good," Neferet grinned maniacally, "this meeting has turned in my favor it seems. And here I expected I would have to let Darkness feed on you."

"Thanks," I muttered, "if that's all, then I must tend to other matters," I announced and turned away to go back to the museum. I played my cards to her, and I was at least no longer on her bad side…maybe not on her best side, but not on her bad side. That was a good thing for my survival, even I could admit that.

"Not so fast, there is one more thing I have to discuss," she said and I paused, looking back to her. "I'm sure, as you know, there is a full moon coming on Tuesday," she started explaining and I nodded, "and there will be rituals, as usual by the vampyre tradition," she rolled her eyes, "I would like to orchestrate an…interruption of sorts during these rituals, particularly Zoey's."

"And how is that going to be helpful to you?" I asked.

"It creates chaos," Neferet answered like there was more to that statement than I could understand. There probably _was_ more to it. "But don't worry about that, there is only one thing I require of you and your sons, just appear and go along with what is going on."

"This has happened before and I ultimately lost Rephaim because of it," I stated, "_why_ would I want to do it again? Why would I allow it?"

"Because I said you would," she said and narrowed her eyes. Darkness slithered around her. "Because if you do not do as I say, I will leave you to Darkness's mercy…and you and I both know how much mercy Darkness has."

I felt it slowly slither up my arm and wrap itself around my throat. "How have you become this powerful?" I demanded but felt the sweat start to form on my brow.

Neferet laughed darkly, "a lot of ways, Kalona, in a lot of ways. Now, you have not answered my question. Will you help me in my plan?" she asked again.

The Darkness around my throat tightened and I could feel the blood starting to well up. If I didn't accept, she would come near to killing me, if not actually _doing_ so since I was no longer immortal. At this point, did I really have a choice? I had no reason to go against it, I lost Rephaim, I had lost my immortality, what else did I have to lose? Nothing. "I will accept, now allow me to be free so I may speak to my sons," I demanded.

The Darkness slithered away and Neferet laughed. "You are pathetic. You used to be a powerful immortal, Kalona, one that even I was frightened of for a time. Now you're nothing more than a lackey, a beaten down dog," she told me and turned away, "I will see you on Tuesday," she announced and then disappeared in a cloud of Darkness.

I stared at the spot she disappeared, cupping my throat as blood started to ooze out. She was right, I had become weak. I was nothing more than a dog to her and Darkness, but I had no reason to be strong. So why not make just another deal with the devil? I had done it so many times before already.

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><p><strong>SEXY, SEXY CHALUPAS! If you can tell me where that's from, I'll give you a plate of cookies (EJ you do not count, sorry but that would be cheating). And now that I got your attention, I'm making a proposition to you all. If I get 5 reviews and at least two more votes on my poll by Sunday, I will give all of you a preview of either JC and Kalona's first dream encounter or a scene with JC and her LI, Skylar. You guys choose, just put it in your review and I'll do the one that gets more votes.<strong>

**Honestly, I really want to write these scenes...but there's no reason for me to write them and let them rot for a while. So give me a reason to write one of them!**


	25. The Funeral of Linda Heffer

**A/N: So...it's gotta be Sunday somewhere, right? Yeah, sorry, this is an extremely late update...but it's an update that will hopefully be read tomorrow.**

**My quota wasn't met...but I understand since it's the holidays and all. Thanks to my 2 and a half reviews (the half comes from KShade on 'Raining Fire,' so thanks for that too even though it wasn't for here =D) and to the one person who voted on my poll...it's the reason Henry's in here at all.**

**I'm also willing to do it again, since it was the holidays...just the rules have changed. If I get at least 7 reviews by next Sunday, then I'll throw in that bonus piece still...either the JC/Kalona meeting or a moment between JC and Skylar, just tell me which one you want to see in the review.**

**Disclaimer/Warning: Nope, don't own HoN, just this plot and anything else you don't recognize. Don't own 'If I Die Young' since that's by The Band Perry (yeah...kinda cheesy but it works well) and I don't own 'Only If For a Night,' which is the song at the end. That's Florence + The Machine, and it's a pretty kickass song, just saying. Also, warning...this is being posted at 3 in the morning, I'm having a fight with fanfic, and it _is not_ proofread, so any grammar/spelling issues are because of that.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

I don't really know how long I was asleep on the kitchen table, but I know I woke up by snorting myself awake. Yes, it's as unattractive as it sounds, but I was thankful because I was having another weird ass dream that I wanted to wake up from anyway. I really didn't know what happened in this dream, but I was freaked out…again. Seriously, if I were keeping score it'd be something along the lines of dreams: 20 billion, JC: 0. Fuck you, dreams.

Anyway, I snorted myself awake on the kitchen table and looked around the room. I didn't remember what the dream really was, but the one thought that was going through my mind was that he knew who I was. I couldn't say who 'he' was exactly, because I didn't have a damn clue…nor could I say why him knowing who I am was a bad thing, but according to every ounce of my being…it was. I pushed these thoughts aside as I heard shuffling coming from one of the tunnels. Damien emerged a moment later, puffy eyed and red nosed.

"JC, what are you doing here?" he asked, apparently surprised that I was here. Granted, I would be surprised too if a Spirit vampyre was unexpectedly sleeping on my kitchen table.

"I…it doesn't matter, it's a long story," I said and chuckled a bit, "I'm just waiting for Zo to wake up now since we have to go to the funeral," I explained and looked him over, "what's wrong, honey?" I asked.

Damien sighed sadly and started moving around the kitchen a bit, apparently intent on making some warm beverage in the microwave (there's a microwave in here?) I waited patiently, so when he sat down next to me and handed me a mug of tea as well, I smiled gratefully and took a sip.

"I had a bad dream," he finally answered after a long moment of staring at his own drink, "I had a dream about the night Jack died again."

"Aw, Damien," I muttered and put my arms around him in an attempt at a hug, "I'm sorry. Spirit, please, help with Air to comfort him," I whispered and watched as the element settled around him, "I know it won't do a lot, but it should help a bit."

"Thanks," he said and relaxed a bit, "I'm just so tired of having these dreams, they're so horrible."

Boy could I ever relate to that, but I didn't say anything about it. "Eventually, they do go away, it does get easier," I promised.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I've been through it before," I said and smiled sadly, "right now, you just gotta know that we're all here for you in whatever way you need, even Jack."

"Even Jack?" he asked.

I sighed and nodded, "He's watching over you and all of us. I just know that," I answered. I didn't exactly get that feeling of being punched in the stomach like before when this subject was brought up, but I still figured it best not to speak about it, even to Damien sadly.

He seemed to think about what I said for a while before nodding. "Thank you JC, that means a lot," he said and seemed relieved quite a bit.

"Anytime," I nodded and turned my head back to see Zoey coming into the kitchen. "Hey cuz," I said to her.

"JC, Damien, is everything alright?" she asked and looked between us.

"Now, yeah," Damien nodded, "I'll leave you two alone now. Thanks again, JC," he added and got up, going back towards what I presumed was his room.

"What was that all about?" Z asked once he was.

"Jack," I answered with a sigh and got up, looking at my cousin. She understood instantly, "on a different subject though, I've been here all night for reasons not really important and I don't have any fitting clothes here for a Catholic funeral, and since you're already dressed, can I borrow something?" I asked.

"Yeah, follow me. Why were you here all night, and did you seriously sleep on the kitchen table again?" my cousin asked as I followed her back to her room.

"Let's just say I walked in on Gwen and Maggie…and that's as far as that comment is going. And yes, I did, I didn't want to bug anyone," I answered.

"You could've came in and asked me," Zoey rolled her eyes.

"That's not how I roll, you know that," I joked and followed after her into the room. Stark was still zonked out on the bed, not having a clue what was going on around him. I then watched as my cousin went over to a small pile of clothes and pulled out a simple black dress.

"For some reason, I have this and the heels here. They both should fit," she whispered to me and handed them over, "put them on and meet me at the car, it's a block down the street," she added and then brushed past me, presumably to her bug.

So what, I was just supposed to change in their room? Looking around, apparently so. I glanced back to Stark again, who snored softly and I had to choke back a giggle. My cousin's Guardian snored…oh the blackmail I had now. Ok, get serious, you need to change and leave!

Sighing, I listened to my mind and turned my back to the bed and Stark. After sending a silent prayer to Nyx for the boy to not wake up (I already went through this with Gwen…I did _not_ need to go through it with Stark) and grabbing my concealer out of my pocket, I quickly shed of my shirt and jeans and slipped the dress on over my head. After that was done, I fashioned the heels on and proceeded to clack my way through the tunnels. Seriously, how do girls walk in heels without making noise? It was amazing enough they could walk in them alone! Oh, yeah, I don't do heels well at all, I just don't have that grace and skill.

Coming back into the kitchen, I noticed Quinn under the table looking up at me. "_Should I go too?"_ she asked curiously.

"That probably wouldn't end well…I can't see how a dog at a funeral would be justified since I'm not blind," I sighed. Honestly, I wanted her to go…but I knew better than that.

"_Good point,"_ Quinn conceded, "_well, good luck."_

"Thanks," I nodded, "behave for everyone here until I get back," I added and went down the opposite side to leave. After getting up the ladder with only minor difficulty (heels and ladders would normally equate to hell), I scrambled down the street to find Zoey in her bug in a parking lot. And she was in the passenger's side too.

"So I take it you want me to drive?" I asked as I got in, noticing the keys already in the ignition.

"I just…don't trust myself to drive right now," Zoey admitted quietly. I could understand and accept that.

"Fair enough," I agreed and started the car before handing her the concealer, "you may want this."

My cousin took it, but then set it to the side, "I don't want to cover my Marks…I'd rather be at the funeral as I am, and you should be that way to."

I couldn't say that I wasn't surprised…but hell, I'd do it anyway. "Alright, just don't let me forget that when we come back," I said and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, "I'm going to need directions," I added.

That was basically our car ride. Zoey just gave me directions to the church and that was it, otherwise the atmosphere was quiet, sad, and a bit tense. We finally got to our destination, and after squeezing the bug between two, huge SUVs (why does everyone and their mother drive these things?), we were walking into the church.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" I asked quietly before we went in.

Zoey took a deep breath and closed her eyes. I momentarily felt sadness and fear rush through me and realized that was the Charge bond, but it was over. "I'll be okay," she whispered and I followed her into the church.

People were already sitting in pews, so when we walked through it was like one of those awkward scenes in a movie where everyone stares at the person who comes in…that's exactly what happened. Everyone in the pews (who the majority I did not recognize because they weren't even remotely family) turned to look at us, and that froze my cousin.

"Keep walking," I told her, seeing Grandma Redbird and her siblings ahead, "of the two of us here…I'm the weird one," I said and, just to be defiant to everyone, brushed the hair away from my Mark with my tattooed wrist. Yeah, I'm different and I'm damn proud of it!

I let out a sigh of relief when we sat down with Grandma Redbird and the rest of my cousins. The older woman smiled at both of us and enveloped Zo in a hug, "hello, _u-we-tsi-a-ge-yv_, it is so good to see you again…though not under these circumstances," she mumbled.

While Zoey and her grandmother were greeting each other, I looked around the church. I did not recognize 89% of them. What had John done to this family? I sighed before meeting my cousins' eyes. For once, Hanna didn't have her nose buried in some electronic device and Kevin didn't have his video games. Both looked sad and tired and…surprised since their wide eyes were on me.

Ok, yeah, I was different and proud, but not with my family staring. I smiled slightly at them and spoke the only thing that came to mind, "it's been a while." They only nodded in response. "I'm sorry it had to come about this way," I added and they both looked down and nodded again. I sighed again and looked down, how uncomfortable could this get?

"How did you get through it?" I looked up to meet Hanna's watery eyes, "I mean, you went through this before…I just thought I'd asked."

I nodded, "time. Time was the only thing that got me through the loss, time and acceptance," I answered.

"Always wise," Grandma Redbird smiled at me and then hugged me too, "it is good to see you, _wa-ya_," she said and pulled back, gently tracing the Marks on my forehead, "another one blessed by Nyx," she breathed.

I smiled a little bit, "it's a long story." She also called me _wa-ya_ because it meant wolf in Cherokee. Since my favorite animal has been the wolf from a very young age and I often times pretended to be a wolf when I was younger, she called me by the animal. The irony in the name was prevalent to a few of us now.

Nothing else was said since the priest came in and the service started. We all sat back in the pew and listened, and my Goddess was it _ever_ uncomfortable! I have nothing against the Catholic faith, my father was a devout Catholic and at a time, so was I, but the service was just so _wrong_ for this family and for Aunt Linda! I could hardly contain myself from shouting half way through it. The only thing that kept me from doing so was Zoey and her siblings, Grandma Redbird who was able to sit through it politely, and my father.

Yeah, I found my dad…and he found me…and confusion was written all over his face. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do by the time the reception came. Oh, and I also found John, and that was less than pleasant. Any chance he got when those "friends" of his weren't trying to console him, he turned to glare at Zoey…and then me. And I mean absolutely no disrespect to the dead, but if looks could kill, this would be _my_ funeral.

But anyway, I sat through the funeral with little comment, even though there was so much to say. Aunt Linda was Cherokee, Grandma Redbird should have planned this funeral, Zoey, Kevin, and Hanna should have been a huge part of it. None of this should have been done by John…something I had to restrain myself from saying when he got up to give the eulogy. He had absolutely no right to be up there giving that.

Zoey and her siblings were sobbing, and I was slightly glad we were there, even though I was fuming, because I think it helped them with all the crap going on. Grandma Redbird was comforting Zo and I had somehow found myself in the grasp of a crying Hanna. I didn't mind, I believed my older cousin to still be cool even with what she turned into in high school.

The funeral was long (as a lot of Catholic funerals were) and when the time came for the funeral procession, I kinda had to wrench my neck out of Hanna's grasp to watch. Dad was one of the pallbearers, as was John (ugh), and a few other guys I didn't recognize. I heard the opening notes to 'Amazing Grace' start playing on an organ and only sighed again. It wasn't right…nothing of this funeral was right!

"This isn't right," Zoey muttered and shook her head, "this isn't right…she wouldn't want this. Not my mom, not my _real_ mom."

I looked down at her other two siblings. They both heard her and nodded in silent agreement, even Grandma Redbird, who had been especially respectful throughout the whole thing, agreed. I turned to look around, some patrons seemed pleased, others looked uncomfortable. Even my father was uncomfortable with this being played for her.

This couldn't happen. It simply could _not_ happen. This was Aunt Linda's funeral, not what John wanted to put on as a show for his friends and fellow People of Faith, and I was going to stop it if it was the last thing I did. "Nyx give me strength," I whispered quietly before standing up. Everyone in the pew looked at me in question, I just gave them a small smile and walked to the end of the pew.

_If I die young, bury me in satin  
><em>_Lay me down on a bed of roses  
><em>_Sink me in the river at dawn  
><em>_Send me away with the words of a love song (uh oh, uh oh)_

Ok, cliché, yeah, I know and I didn't really give a shit. This was better than anything else that could happen. I managed to get that in before the opening words to 'Amazing Grace'. People were in surprise and muttering as many of the guests turned back to look at me. A lot of them were just confused, but I caught the eye of John and my dad, if looks could kill I'd be dead and buried six feet under the way John had it, Dad just smiled and gave me a slight nod. Good, so long as he approved I'd continue.

_Nyx make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my daughter  
><em>_She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors  
><em>_Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no  
><em>_Ain't even gray but she buries her baby_

Call it personal liberty, but yeah, I changed it a bit. I squeezed Zoey's hand and gently placed my other on Grandma Redbird's shoulder. The music to 'Amazing Grace' had stopped now and all eyes were on me…though hopefully not for very long. The funeral procession should be starting, and I flicked my eyes to notice the pallbearers were getting ready for that. Good, they weren't dense.

_The sharp knife of a short life  
><em>_Well, I've had just enough time  
><em>

_If I die young, bury me in satin  
><em>_Lay me down on a bed of roses  
><em>_Sink me in the river at dawn  
><em>_Send me away with the words of a love song  
><em>_The sharp knife of a short life  
><em>_Well I've had just enough time_

By now, my cousins were singing with me, as well as a few other patrons to the funeral. The real patrons, the ones who knew Aunt Linda for who and what she was _before_ John.

_And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom  
><em>_I'm as green as the ring on my little, cold finger  
><em>_I've never known the lovin' of a man  
><em>_But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand  
><em>_There's a boy here in town says he'll love me forever  
><em>_Who would have thought forever could be severed by  
><em>

_The sharp knife of a short life  
><em>_Well, I've had just enough time_

And they were marching through as I sang. The pall-bearers were carrying the casket down the aisle. When they passed by our pew, I caught my father's eye and he smiled at me with the slightest hint of a nod. I'd done right this time, that was all that counted.

_So put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls  
><em>_What I never did is done  
><em>_A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar  
><em>_They're worth so much more after I'm a goner  
><em>_And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing  
><em>_Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'  
><em>

_If I die young, bury me in satin  
><em>_Lay me down on a bed of roses  
><em>_Sink me in the river at dawn  
><em>_Send me away with the words of a love song  
><em>

_Uh oh, the ballad of a dove  
><em>_Go with peace and love  
><em>_Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket  
><em>_Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need them oh  
><em>

_The sharp knife of a short life  
><em>_Well I've had just enough time  
><em>

_So put on your best boys  
><em>_And I'll wear my pearls_

People were filing out. Some of them stayed for the whole thing and listened, others just seemed disgusted and left. Good riddance to them. "Very wise indeed, _wa-ya_," Grandma Redbird shook me out of my thoughts by hugging me, "thank you."

"She's my family too," I said and hugged her back for a moment, "it just wasn't right. Zoey," I said quietly to my cousin, "we should probably be going…need to get our little flag for the car and all that," I said.

She nodded, "I'll see you guys at the burial and reception," she told her siblings then followed me out to the bug.

I fastened the funeral flag to the car and was about to get in when Zo came and hugged me. "Thank you, JC," she said. Ok really, why was everyone thanking me?

"We're family," I gave the same answer, "now c'mon, we need to get going," I added and we both got into the car. I joined towards the back of the procession and just followed the line. Again, I wasn't quite sure where we were going, but Z didn't need to give me directions, which left her to her thoughts. She looked troubled, and I felt bad, so I attempted to see what was going on in that soul of hers. Surprisingly enough, it worked (I really didn't expect to be able to do that on whim), but her emotions and thoughts were so muddled.

"We'll get through this, all of this, I promise that," I said and let it rattle around in the silence that fell again. Zoey just looked at me in surprise before nodding and going back to looking out the window.

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><p><strong><span>Zoey's POV<span>**

My thoughts were everywhere. The funeral could have gone a lot better than what it did. My mom was not Catholic, she was Cherokee like me and Grandma, John got everything so backwards and wrong that it was a bunch of bullpoopie. But JC doing what she did made things better, and in her words, "it took balls."

The burial was not very long, and if anything it just mad things final. Watching the casket with my mom inside of it being lowered into the ground hurt. It hurt a lot because it made it all the more real, there was no turning back after that. My mother was dead and gone, and knowing that brought me to tears again.

JC, standing next to me at the burial, grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently, "she's with my mom and Daniel and Nyx, she'll be okay." The truth in those words was what kept me going.

The reception was where the fun _really_ began. It was held at some hall that John had picked out (of course) and it fit and sat everyone. We got there a bit late because I wanted to stay another couple of minutes at the cemetery to say goodbye, my cousin obliged and gave me some space. When we did get to the reception, the majority of the people were already seated and some of them were eating. The step-loser, however, was still waiting by the door.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the moment we walked through the door.

"She's my mother, John, I'm going to be here," I responded wearily. I really did not want to deal with him too.

"While I do question why such a bad child as yourself is in a house of God, it was not you who I was talking to," John said and glared at my cousin.

"Watch it," JC growled, "I'm blood related to the family here, which is a hell of a lot more than _you_ can say."

"She was my wife you evil spawn of Satan!" he exclaimed.

"And she was my aunt you hypocritical Catholic bastard," she spat back and shouldered her way around him. I followed after her, ignoring the daggers we were both receiving from the step-loser.

I had found Grandma and Hanna and Kevin sitting at a nearby table and went to go sit with them when Jen hesitated to follow. "What's wrong?" I asked and looked back to her.

She swallowed, "nothing…I just really want to talk to Dad, that's all," she answered and then began following me.

"Go," I said, "it's a funeral reception. I should be fine with my family for 15 minutes while you reunite with yours."

JC looked relieved, "thanks, I'll be back soon," she told me and went off to go find and probably explain to her father just exactly what was going on with her Mark.

I went and sat down with my siblings and Grandma. They offered me food, but I really wasn't hungry. Actually, all I wanted to do was go back to the tunnels and sleep this whole day off, preferably in the arms of Stark. Obviously, that couldn't happen…but I could always wish it.

"So why did John stop you?" Hanna asked, trying to start some conversation.

"He doesn't want me or JC here," I answered simply. It shouldn't surprise them, "I'm a bad child and JC's a spawn of Satan."

"Why didn't you cover your Marks up? It probably wouldn't have causes such a mess if you did, especially with our cousin," Kevin asked, glancing at Jen who was talking with Uncle Pete, "why is her Mark like that?"

"It wouldn't have made a difference, John knows I'm a fledgling and JC is still the 'other man's family,' so there wasn't a point," I sighed, "and it's a long story why her Mark is purple. How are you guys doing?" I asked to change the subject. I was already dealing with my mom's funeral…I didn't want to think about the House of Night stuff too.

Kevin and Hanna launched into what they're lives were like after my Marking. I was surprised they even noticed my absence. I mean, we all used to be close when we were younger…then John came into our lives and ruined that too. Other than the crap they had with John and Mom's death, they were doing alright, and I was happy to hear it.

Our conversation took a turn to a bad direction when my sister noticed something. "Zoey," she mumbled and pointed behind me, "is that…?" she trailed off. I looked back to where she was pointing and…oh my Goddess!

"Yes," I breathed, "yeah…it's him."

"Who, who is him?" Kevin asked, looking at the man my sister and I were looking at. He wouldn't remember, he was incredibly young when it all happened. Hell, I could hardly remember, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind that was my father.

"He is no one, _u-we-tsi_," Grandma answered and put her hand on his, "he is no one of any importance, at least."

"Hanna, I don't…" I went to look at my sister, but she was already up and approaching him. Feeling about a thousand different emotions, I pushed them back and got up to followed after her. This wasn't going to turn out well.

My sister and I walked over to stand in front of him, which only got more awkward as time went on. None of us said anything, Hanna and I were waiting for him to speak first and he was waiting for us…though I did notice his eyes lingered on my Mark way longer than I would have liked.

Finally, he started the conversation, "my girls…"

"Henry?" I looked back to find Uncle Pete and JC walking over to us as well. That was the distraction and conversation starter we needed.

"Peter," my father nodded to him and looked at his niece, "Jennifer, you look so much like your father except for those eyes. Those eyes are Anna's, definitely Anna's…and the Mark…"

"Is a blessing from Nyx," JC cut him off brusquely and crossed her arms, "what are you doing here, Henry? You leave for what…14 years and decide to come back now, at a _funeral_ of all things?"

Henry let out a slight, nervous chuckle, "and hotheaded and protective. You're more like your mother than you think."

"I know damn straight how I'm like my mother. Answer my question," she ordered. Uncle Pete placed a hand on her shoulder, either to calm her down or give her a warning…or both. Either way, my cousin let out an audible breath and relaxed just the slightest. She was making a bigger commotion than we were, probably because Hanna and I didn't know what to feel yet, and because this was her family. For as long as I could remember, Jenny was family-oriented and protective, anyone that hurt her family she hated, whether they had an explanation for it or not and whether it was accidental or not. There was that side showing.

"Actually, I would like an answer to that question as well," I agreed finally. I didn't trust him, and quite frankly I didn't want him here, he was my father by blood and that was it. I think JC picked up on that fact quickly.

"This is my wife's funeral, no matter how long we were apart. I want to be here for her and I want to be here for my kids," Henry answered, looking at me and my sister.

"Your kids?" Hanna asked, "you've been gone for 14 years and you think you have any right to call us _your kids_! Kevin doesn't even know who you are…and he doesn't need to know now! You have no right to be here, absolutely no right!" she yelled. Unlike JC, Hanna was hotheaded and hurt…ok, not that much of a difference.

"She's right, you know," I agreed, much more calm. Hell, I dealt with Neferet and all that crap going on in my life, there was no need to get worked up over my father coming back. "You shouldn't be here, how did you even know about this funeral? You weren't at Grandma Montgomery's funeral and you weren't at Aunt Anna and Daniel's either…so why now? Why do you appear now?" I asked, feeling a bit of a boost in bravery from Spirit.

I snuck a glance at JC and Uncle Pete, who were thankfully keeping their mouths shut. Don't get me wrong, I loved that they were here to help us, but this was something Hanna and I needed to do. Still, Jen was fuming to the point I thought I saw smoke coming out of her nostrils and my uncle…calm, cool, and always collected Uncle Pete looked pissed.

"I really am back here for you guys. I didn't know if your mother remarried or not, and if he would want you or not," Henry started. He made it sound like we were just some possessions, not human beings, or in my case a vampyre. "I want to be here for you guys, you need one parent around. Though I admit, I didn't expect to have this kind of welcome home," he explained.

"What the hell did you expect us to do? Celebrate because our long-lost father who ran out on us was back?" Hanna asked, "sorry to tell you Henry, but you aren't going to get that sort of thing…not from us."

"And we have Grandma Redbird," I told him bluntly, "we don't need you around because we have her. Now, you really should leave."

"I really don't think you have a right to tell me to leave," Henry started.

"Like hell they do!" JC exclaimed and stepped right into his face, "unless my father has anything to say to you, then you _really_ should leave before things go bad," she warned, her voice dropping three levels quieter. Her hands were clenched into fists…she was serious.

"Everything I ever had to say to him I said three days after he left," Uncle Pete responded, "go Henry, because I can't and won't stop my daughter from doing what she wants to you."

"Get out," my cousin ground out through her teeth. Henry hesitated only a moment before sighing, turning around, and walking out of the reception…and out of our lives once again.

And that was a cue for John to come over. "That man had no right to come to this funeral!" he shouted loudly, probably to make a point to his friends.

"Glad to know you had the guts to tell him," Uncle Pete muttered sardonically (another Damien word) and rolled his eyes before giving JC's shoulder a squeeze and walking away. Huh, apparently he didn't like the step-loser either.

"The other man, he left Linda and had no right," John stated again, choosing to ignore my uncle.

"You are such a hypocritical bastard," JC let out a dark laugh, "but I actually agree with you."

"How is it hypocritical, you child of evil?" he asked back and glared. Goddess, I swear it was almost like they were using pet names with each other…ew, weird place to go, mind!

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes, "I'm young John, not stupid. The blonde bimbo over there, the one someone mentioned was your _secretary_, please! Like you haven't been doing her for months. The other man shouldn't be here, but he has better reason than the other woman."

The step-loser was actually flustered. Hell, so were me and Hanna! His secretary…was she being serious? By the look in Jen's eyes and on her face, she was. Oh my Goddess, this was so weird and so gross! Bleh! And Mom...oh my Goddess, if she found out... "You would say that, you have to defend _him_," he sneered the word, "because you're blood related. I can see the similarities."

Oh crap. That had to have been the worst possible thing to say to her…and John was going to find out very quickly. JC's entire stance became deadly, just for an instant, and then…bam! Her fist met with John's face. Even though I knew it was coming, I had to cover my mouth to keep from giggling…what, he deserved it! "I am nothing, _NOTHING_ like Henry," she snarled and hit him again, "absolutely nothing!"

It didn't go any further. Two of John's friends came up and restrained my cousin, literally throwing her out of the reception based on his request. I was surprised, and it took Hanna to get me out of it. "I always knew she was feisty," she muttered and shook her head, "but wow."

I nodded and went towards the entrance to go talk to her. John attempted to stop me, "if you go after her…you're no better than she is. Are you really going to do that to your own mother?" he asked.

"My mother, my _real_ mother, would want me to…so don't you dare pretend to know what she would want," I told him and stormed out the door.

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

Ok, admittedly, that was really stupid. I knew that directly after the second punch, and that was why I didn't fight the people who restrained me…though I really wanted to. I had just lost my cool and punched someone _at my aunt's funeral!_ What in the hell was wrong with me?

I let out a groan when my ass connected with the cement sidewalk because, yes, for some reason those two idiots that directed me out decided it would be cool to _literally_ throw me out of the funeral. The groan wasn't because it hurt (even though yes…being thrown onto pavement _did_, in fact hurt) but because I was such an idiot. I let out another groan and squinted my eyes at the clear sky. The sun was not pleasant either, but I would deal. What I needed to do was let out the rest of my frustrations, those directed to Henry and John and now myself. I mean, I just got kicked out of a funeral!

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck!" I screamed to nothing in particular. And hey, don't knock it 'til you try it…because after doing that, I did feel a good bit better. I still felt like an idiot, but I felt better.

"JC Redbird," I looked up to see Zoey coming out, shaking her head, "of all the people, I would think you over everyone else wouldn't have such a potty mouth!" she exclaimed and I snorted, "especially when your father is still inside!"

"At this exact moment, Z," I stated, "I simply do not give a flying shit. That was, ugh, that was so stupid and irresponsible of me!" I said, and Goddess did I ever feel bad. I got kicked out of a funeral because I caused a ruckus, and it was Zoey's mom's funeral. That…and I wasn't thinking about the fact that I might not be able to be in there with her for the rest of the time. You are an idiot, JC, a complete idiot.

"Yeah, I'll agree to that," she smirked, "but it wasn't unwarranted. What John said, saying you were similar to Henry…that was way out of line and based on nothing."

"Don't try to justify it, it was just stupid and reckless," I sighed and rubbed at my forehead, "I just…lost my cool. Between Henry showing up, and John, and the remaining feelings from having to explain to Dad, it was like system overload. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to destroy that or get kicked out," I said and looked to my cousin.

"It's alright. And just wait until you have to tell everyone that you got kicked out of a funeral," Z joked and I smiled a bit. Inwardly, I really didn't want _anyone_ to know that I managed to get myself kicked out of a funeral, "but what do you mean about the remaining feelings, did Uncle Pete not take it well?"

"He took it like a champ," I said, "which was really surprising. It didn't make it any less nerve wracking, however."

"Then, understandable," Zoey smiled, "c'mon…let's go back in there," she added and offered a hand.

"Z, I just got kicked out of there. Or thrown out is more like it…literally," I sighed but took her hand then brushed myself off.

"Yeah, but you're with me. No one can tell me that you shouldn't be there," she answered like it was nothing. Alright then, I'd follow after her back into the lion's den.

Surprisingly, however, it didn't go that bad. I mean, everyone knew what just happened and what I did and were giving me leery looks, but they left me alone…the people I wanted to be left alone from anyway (if that makes any sense). I spent the rest of the reception with Z, Hanna, Kevin, and Grandma Redbird and occasionally Dad. Apparently, because he was an adult, he had to socialize with the others even though he didn't like them much either. Truth was, he was secretly proud of me…and after I saw that I gave John a black eye, I was twistedly proud too. That was probably wrong to think, especially at a funeral, but oh well. I got my point across, and people left me and Zoey and her siblings alone, that was all I needed.

So the rest of the day went pretty well, except for Zoey. I could just tell her emotions and thoughts were _everywhere_, and that was going to have to come out relatively soon. It actually happened in the car on the way home (we got to leave relatively easily…after a pretty depressing goodbye from my dad and a promise from Grandma Redbird to call later).

I was driving home with my cousin slumped in the passenger's seat, staring out the window. Her mind was going a mile a minute, both her face and our bond told me that. I wasn't going to push matters though, because that could easily result badly, especially when the thoughts focused on Henry, John, and death. Not a good combo in any way you think about it.

"JC?" I glanced at Zoey for a moment and hummed a questioning sound, "can I ask you a favor?" she asked.

"Go ahead, cuz," I nodded.

"It sounds stupid…and childish, but I felt almost relieved when you sang at the funeral. Would you mind doing it again?" Zoey asked. Goddess, she sounded like a sad, troubled child…it damn near broke my heart. It was crap that she had to go through this, and then have Henry and John to deal with on top of the funeral.

_Spirit, please come to me and help Z out._ "Of course," I agreed and sighed, thinking about my song choice for a second. "_And I had a dream about my old school. And she was there all pink and gold and glittering. I threw my arms around her legs, came to weeping, came to weeping. And I heard your voice as clear as day, and you told me I should concentrate. It was all so strange, and so surreal, that a ghost should be so practical."_

My cousin was out in a minute…but that was okay, I expected she would be. I continued singing quietly as I drove back to the tunnels and parked the bug where it initially started, then realized my dilemma. Zoey was asleep in the passenger's seat, and she looked so peaceful and content that, after the day she had, I didn't want to wake her. I was also a block from the tunnels. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if I was in normal clothes, I would just pick her up and carry her. However, I was in heels and a dress…that sure as hell wasn't going to happen when I could hardly walk by myself in heels (granted, I had proven that I could throw a punch).

It was almost dark though, and as I caught sight of my arm, I realized Stark was probably still around. So, grabbing Z's phone, which was on the dash with my concealer (I grabbed that too), I pulled up his contact and called…hoping that his phone got service in the tunnels wherever he was. I was in luck.

"Zoey? Are you okay?" Stark answered immediately.

"JC, and she's fine," I said quietly, "just asleep in the car and I could really use some help. Can you meet me half way for the block?" I asked.

"It's night…so sure I guess, why do you need help?" he asked, though I could hear him getting up and moving around.

"I don't want to wake her…and I don't think I'll make a block carrying her with what I'm in. I also really don't feel like starting the bug again," I admitted. I didn't want to drive anymore.

"Fair enough, meet you in five then," Stark agreed and hung up.

"Geeze, no goodbye even," I chuckled and closed the phone. Well, I promised to meet him half way…probably shouldn't have done that, but I better suck it up. Sighing, I unbuckled myself and got out of the car, going around to the other side and opening the other side. Z was still out, and not wanting to wake her, I awkwardly and carefully unbuckled her and managed to get a bridal style hold on her. This was going to be fun!

Shutting the door with my hip, I let out a grunt and started walking that half a block. It was probably a weird sight to see if anyone saw it, but oh well. It was also pretty hard; Zoey wasn't necessarily heavy, but…well, I dare you to try and carry someone in a set of heels! I was relieved when Stark came walking up and easily took her from me.

"I gotta admit, it's a pretty good feat when you can carry her for half a block in heels, especially for the stick you look like," he said once we started going back.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes, "I got muscle to me…you just can't see it."

"Sure," Stark agreed sarcastically and paused, "everyone else has already gone to school for the night…what should we do with her?" he asked.

"Let her sleep," I sighed, "it was one hell of a day. I'll deal with it when I get there," I answered.

"You sure you want to go? You look like you could use a good day and a half of sleep too," he added, looking me over.

"Couldn't we all?" I asked rhetorically, "I'll be fine…I was an AP student, I know how to handle lack of sleep."

"Are you sure…we could get you a bed…"

"Stark, I'll be fine," I cut him off as I opened the basement door for him, "I don't need a bed, I just need to get back." I walked in after him and heard tags jangling. Quinn appeared from the shadows a moment later, apparently waiting for me.

"If you say so," he shrugged weakly since he was still holding my cousin and all.

"I do say so. Now go lay Z down and I'll hear from you or her later, alright?" I asked.

"If you say so, Priestess," Stark joked and turned away, carefully going down the ladder into the tunnels.

I let out a sigh and watched them go down. I couldn't help but to think that those two needed so much more than what they had. We all did, we were just teenagers, hardly ready or right for what we needed to do.

"_And the only solution was to stand and fight. And my body was bruised and I was set alight. But you came over me like some holy rite, and although I was burning, you're the only light_," I sang out into the basement. I allowed the words to echo around the basement and allowed the meaning to wash over me before I sighed, shook my head, and stepped out of the basement with Quinn by my side. I'd get my clothes later.


	26. Anastasia and Daniel

**A/N: So...the past couple of weeks have been hell for me. I got the flu right during midterm review and midterm week...and when I got better I had a buttload of work to get done and turn in before the end of the semester. It wasn't pretty, but I got everything done at the cost of sleeping and eating.**

**And then, in addition to that, I seem to have found myself in a bit of a funk. I had writers' block with this chapter and I'm really just not motivated to write right now.**

**Those are my excuses for not updating when I should have. You may still throw stuff at me if you like. I come with the peace offering of another long chapter with some symbolism that I'm proud of...and maybe another one tonight if I feel motivated enough to do so. Yeah...getting on with stuff now.**

**Disclaimer: Anything you see in here and don't recognize is mine. Everything you do recognize is not mine, and I have no desire to impede on copyrights. I don't own Drive either...that's Incubus and whoever the hell else is on those record and song labels and all that stuff.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

"_So judging by your quietness and sighing, things didn't go so well?"_ Quinn asked as we started walking back to the House of Night.

"Well," I sighed, "that's probably the understatement of the century. Aside from the fact that I literally got thrown out of the funeral reception, Henry appeared and John's a bastard…but that was known already," I answered. When my dog just gave a blank, expecting stare, I sighed again and proceeded to recap the funeral's events to her.

That took the majority of the walk back, so by the time I was done explaining, I could see the gates of the school. "_What Zoey said is true though…punching John was entirely warranted, especially since, even though he isn't full family, he should know what family means to you. He should've known that would provoke you and it did,"_ Quinn told me.

"Yeah, but it shouldn't have," I argued, "I shouldn't have done what I did, I used to never let my anger get the better of me."

"_You also weren't under nearly as much stress as you are now,"_ she pointed out, "_eventually you were going to break. Better it be John than Neferet."_

I snorted, "_let's just not talk about my desire to punch her,"_ I said as we walked through the gates and made our way to the dorms.

"_I could maul her if you would like,"_ Quinn offered and it almost worried me that she was completely serious.

"_As much as I would like to see that…let's not alright? You're supposed to be the calm one right now anyway,"_ I told her.

"_That may not last much longer…not with the way she's treating you and everyone else,"_ she grumbled out.

I shook my head, "_don't worry about me, I'm gonna be fine. I can deal with it,"_ I promised as we ran up the steps to my room.

"_Doesn't mean I have to like it."_

"I'm not saying that you do," I agreed as we went into my room, "I'm just saying don't let it get to you all that much. Are you coming to class with me?" I asked and stripped off the dress, grabbing a uniform blouse and a pair of jeans.

"_Good thing Gwen isn't in here_," Quinn teased, "_and yeah, I intended to."_

"Let's not get onto the topic of the awkward moments with my roommate either," I sighed and pulled on my jeans, "now where is my bag? If we sprint, we can make it on time," I said and looked around.

"_It appears as though your roommate took care of it,"_ my dog informed me and nosed at my tye dyed tote bag. A small piece of paper fell out as she did so and I picked it up.

"JC, I figured you would need this. I printed out your paper and everything, it's all in there. We need to talk later. Gwen," I read aloud and tilted my head, looking at the note, "huh…she has some really nice handwriting."

"_I think the handwriting is the last thing you need to worry about,"_ Quinn commented, "_c'mon, we need to get going."_

"Right," I agreed and shouldered my bag, "gotta book it," I added when we were outside my room and started sprinting for first hour.

Admittedly, it felt really good to run again, especially in the cold air and with Quinn by my side. It'd been a while since we last went on a run together with me being sick and all, so the quick sprint to Vamp Soc was a small relief.

We were also in luck since we got there just as Neferet was closing the door. I literally slid and stumbled into the room, my hair blown into my face and a few books nearly falling out of my bag. If anything, my classmates got a good laugh out of that.

"Jennifer, I am so glad you made it," Neferet chimed and smiled at me, "I did not expect you to make it to first hour since your aunt's funeral was today. I do hope you are alright enough to be here," she said. Alrighty, let's play nice and caring High Priestess today!

I pushed the hair out of my face and forced myself to smile back, "I'll be alright, I'm just glad I made it back in time."

"Well I am glad to hear that. Where is Zoey, may I ask?" she did ask.

"It was a harder day for her than me, she should be back at some point today. I mean, you did say that you would tell our professors about what was going on if we didn't make it back," I answered and smiled innocently.

"Yes, well, it is hard to lose your mother and go to her funeral I suppose," Neferet agreed. It was a simple statement, but the way she said it and the way she looked at me made my stomach leap and my heart drop. There was way more implied to that than I cared to know.

"_Can I maul her now?"_ Quinn asked.

"_Stay calm," _I told her and was thankful she listened. "It is," I agreed and turned away, "I should probably get to my seat now."

To my surprise, the crazy bitch grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. She smiled at me and it probably looked soft and caring to most of the fledglings, but I could see the malice and crazy in it. Much quieter, so no one heard, Neferet told me, "I know what it is about you."

Now I had a reason for my stomach and heart to be where they were. I let out a growl that was more wolfish than human and I was positive my eyes flashed purple (I had been noticing/people had been pointing out this happens during times when I was pissed off and/or using a lot of Spirit), "do not mess with me today, Neferet. It will not end well for either of us," I warned and tore my arm from her grasp before going back and sitting by Damien.

He, of course, had seen the whole thing that went on. "What was that all about?" he asked quietly as I sat down.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," I answered. I wasn't sure…what the hell did she mean by 'I know what it is about you?' It was eerily similar to 'I know what you did last summer'…it was like one of the things the creepers in movies say.

"Whatever happened…she cut you," Damien pointed to my wrist and the notebook paper I pulled out. I looked and, sure enough, my paper was turning red from blood dripping from a cut running across Zoey's Charge Mark.

"Huh," I muttered and looked at it, "so she did. Damn Darkness," I sighed and went through my bag, looking for a Kleenex to put on it to hopefully stop most of the bleeding.

"She used Darkness to do that?" he asked in surprise.

"She's Neferet…what else would you expect?" I asked rhetorically and, finally finding my Kleenex pack, pressed a sheet to my cut.

"Touché," Damien agreed and sighed quietly, "where's Z?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Back at the tunnels asleep," I answered, "it was a long day. I'll explain at lunch if she isn't back," I added when he looked like he was going to ask that question.

He closed his mouth and nodded, thus we both turned our attention to the front of the room since Neferet started the lesson for the day. Really, I couldn't concentrate on it. For one, it was Neferet who was teaching…and for two, stopping my wrist from bleeding was more important. It was something about a man losing his lover and priestess to Darkness during an ancient battle or something of the sort…whatever it was I was pulled out of my attempts to stop bleeding from someone sniffling.

I turned to look at Damien who had a few, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. A man losing his lover to Darkness during a battle…I felt like smacking myself in the face. Duh, stupid. Neferet _would_ go after the grieving gay boy. "Sweetie," I mumbled and, after securing my third Kleenex to my wrist with my blood (gross but efficient), I took his hand. Damien looked at me, his brown eyes glassy, "don't listen to her, you got me? She's cruel, she's a bitch…she's trying to get to you…don't let her do it, okay?" I reassured him.

"It's only been a few days," he whispered to me sadly and my hatred for Neferet increased tenfold.

I nodded and said nothing as I allowed Spirit to go from me to him and Quinn rested her head in his lap in reassurance. I smiled slightly at my dog and nodded again, "_good girl, thank you."_ She said nothing but glanced at me to show she heard. And that was class. Seriously, after that I paid no attention to Neferet as I tried to comfort Damien…the bell signifying the end surprised me.

I silently helped Damien get his stuff together and put my arm around his waist as we were the last to leave. He was doing a bit better, no longer crying, but still seemed a little wobbly and…just out of it. As we were leaving for second hour, Neferet tried to stop me, "Jennifer-"

"No," I cut her off quickly without looking back, "whatever it is, it can wait, bitch." And Damien and I left the room without a second glance. Smart? No, more than likely it wasn't. But I had hit my threshold of being pissed off for the day…I was _not_ going to take anymore crap from her.

The moment we were out of the room, Quinn let out a bark and I heard a slight pounding before Duchess appeared by Damien's side. "_What happened?"_ she asked and rubbed her head against his leg to comfort.

"Neferet," I answered like it was a bad taste and Damien looked to me. "She came to see you," I said and pointed down to the yellow lab.

He smiled a bit and bent down to pet her, "hi Duch. If I haven't yet, thank you so much for taking care of her," he said and looked up at me.

I shrugged, "it's not a problem…she and Quinn get along with each other and with Oreo too. I can't take anyone else's pet…but Duchess is a fine addition, neither me nor Gwen mind," I answered and looked around, "hun, do you have anyone else in second hour with you?" I asked.

"Stevie Rae is in Music with you and Zoey is in Drama," he answered and looked back to Duchess, "but I should be alright now. Thanks again, JC, it…it really means a lot to have someone to be there for you," he added.

I smiled, "we're all here for you Damien, I just happened to be the closest this time. Have fun in Sketching," I said as we parted and Quinn and I hurried off to my own second hour.

I got into class and sat down at a table with Stevie Rae and Rephaim, relieved to know they were both here and not…well…injured or anything. Really, I didn't know what to expect with Rephaim's first day, so I figured I'd ask, "how is your first day going?"

"Alright," Rephaim answered a bit wearily.

"People are jerks," Stevie Rae muttered under her breath.

I frowned a bit. "If it's any consolation, Neferet's a bitch…even though we knew that already. Why are people jerks?" I asked.

"_Ugh, you got that right,"_ Quinn agreed with a groan.

"Nobody likes Rephaim bein' here," she answered and crossed her arms, "one boy almost started a fight with him! It ain't right!"

Well that was surprising. "You didn't fight, did you?" I asked worriedly, looking at my fledgling.

"I did not wish to fight for myself, so I did not. I also assumed it was not something you would be proud of and not something you would want to handle," Rephaim answered, "if he was talking about Stevie Rae, it would be a different matter."

"Well you got that right," I mumbled and sighed, "none of us are really accepted here. People still aren't used to me…let alone the two fledglings I have. You're probably gonna get the worst of it because of who you are, I'm sorry to say."

"That still ain't right," Stevie Rae announced.

I sighed again, "I know. We only have to put up with it for a few more days and then we're off to Skye. Just don't get into any trouble, Rephaim, alright?" I asked and leveled him a look.

"I shall not, Priestess," he promised and nodded formally to me. Yup, still weird to have that done to me.

"It ain't Rephaim you should be worryin' 'bout gettin' in trouble. That's Aphrodite," Stevie Rae added as Vento walked in. Stevie Rae and I pulled out our papers and Rephaim looked around a bit worried.

"Should I have something to turn in?" he asked.

"It's your first day…you should be fine without it," I assured him and turned to the red vampyre, "why should I be worried about Aphrodite? What's she getting herself into?" I asked.

"Nothin' out of the norm…it's just Aphrodite bein'…well…Aphrodite. Darius is with her though, so you should be fine," she said.

"Darius should be able to restrain her," I agreed, "but if that girl gets into trouble without me finding her…I swear…I just can't take much else," I grumbled. I know it might seem weird, but I was considered their High Priestess, and anything Rephaim or Aphrodite did reflected on me and the developing race. I was smart enough to know I didn't want or need that kind of stuff so soon in our existence.

"Bad day?" she asked.

"Understatement of the year, but yeah, something like that," I agreed, "it was a really bad time at the…"

"JC!" Vento called and I looked up to him, stopping my explanation, "since you have been talking for the entire start of class, you would not mind going first, would you?"

"Of course not," I responded and got up, resisting the urge to grumble. I wanted to get this out of the way…but like any normal teenager, I hated going first on anything. My freaking luck. Stevie Rae gave me a sympathetic glance and mouthed 'sorry' as I went up to the little, makeshift stage that was in the room.

"Now, I know there's a guitar up here…it's why I didn't bring mine," I mumbled as I rooted around for said instrument, "aha, there you are!" I exclaimed as I found the acoustic. I strummed it once and nodded in satisfaction because it was already tuned. "I uh…just start at any time?" I asked, focusing on our professor.

"Whenever you're ready," he nodded.

I swallowed and made the mistake of looking around the room. Every eye was trained on me…oh crap! If I haven't made it apparent yet, I _hate_ having to be in front of the public and doing something. Me and public speaking did not get along. How did I do so well in high school? "_Focus on the music, JC,"_ I heard from Quinn. That was how I got through high school, by focusing on the music.

I took another breath and closed my eyes. Well, can't take all day now can I? I sighed and started strumming at the guitar for real this time, allowing my fingers to slide over the frets. It's weird what an instrument can do to me…it's really relieving actually.

"_Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear. And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear take the wheel and steer. It's driven me before and it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal. But lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel."_ I was expecting my voice to come out really shaking and quiet…but no, surprisingly enough, it came out strong and I was hitting notes properly. I could do this after all.

"_Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, with open arms and open eyes, yeah. Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, I'll be there. So if I decide to waver my chance to be one of the hive. Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive? It's driven me before, and it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around. But lately I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself my light is found. Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, with open arms and open eyes, yeah. Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, I'll be there,"_ I sang out and opened my eyes to find people watching me with surprise. I suppose they didn't expect me to be this good either…we were actually in the same boat.

I watched my fingers on the guitar as the little solo came up and then, "_would you choose water over wine, hold the wheel and drive? Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, with open arms and open eyes, yeah. Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, I'll be there,_" I finished and just strummed the end of it. I let out a breath when it was over, then a smile because…despite the Darkness and everything, the entire class applauded for me anyway.

"'Drive' by Incubus, a very fitting choice," Vento said after the clapping died away. The way he said it seemed to carry an interesting implication, "but not very well known or popular. Did you have to research to find that song?" he asked.

I set the guitar down and shook my head, "I figured it was fitting…but didn't have to do any research. It's been a favorite song of mine for a while now," I answered.

"Very well, thank you JC," he said.

Taking that as my cue, I went back to my seat on slightly shaky legs and sat down with a breath of relief. "I'm actually glad that's over with," I muttered.

"Dang, JC! Why didn't you tell us you could sing?" Stevie Rae asked after a moment and I looked between her and Rephaim.

I shrugged, "it didn't really seem to be that important. Plus, why would I be taking music if I couldn't?" I asked.

"Well, some fledglings here can play instruments but don't sing," she shrugged, "still, that was pretty dang good. My mama would say that you earned one of her chocolate chip cookies for that."

"Well thank you," I smiled and sat back as the rest of the class started going. Throughout the hour, we got half way through our class, and I could see what Stevie Rae meant. Some fledglings didn't sing, they just played a song on an instrument. Others sang and were pretty good…and then there were the few who were still learning it seemed. I'm not being overly critical (hell, I'm far from perfect), but those few appeared to have absolutely no sense of tone at all.

The transition from second hour to third was less exciting. Lit 101 was rather boring, we got a book assignment, _Fahrenheit 451_, which was kind of nice because I already read that book and liked it, but that was pretty much it.

Fourth hour came around and Zo and Stark still weren't here. By that point in time, I was convinced they weren't coming for class and resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to explain what went on. Joy. My happiness over that increased my fencing ability by just a little bit…meaning I landed on my ass one less time against Luke and actually managed a point. That was kind of rewarding, but I still had a long way to go before I even stood a chance against anyone.

"That was better than yesterday," Luke offered as he stuck out his hand. Yup, I was on my ass again at the end of class.

"You don't have to be nice," I laughed as I hauled myself to my feet, "that sucked. I can't fence to save my life…I'm gonna have a lot to work on before I'm anywhere _close_ to being good," I said and brushed off my gym pants.

"Don't be so hard on yourself…it can take a while to get the hang of," he said and smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sure," I chuckled, "I dunno…I've always been more of a close fighter myself. Hand to hand, close encounter, all that…maybe I'm just not meant for the sword," I mused half-jokingly. Once again though, fencing with Luke came through…I felt a lot better and calmer than I did when the day started. That was a good thing. "I'll clean this stuff up, go ahead," I offered, realizing some random equipment was still left out.

"You sure?" Luke asked.

I nodded, "go ahead, can you and Damien wait for me for lunch though?" I asked.

"Sure thing," he agreed and went off to the locker room.

Again, I was alone in the gym. Dragon went off to who knows where and I just cleaned a few stuff up. Once I was done and going to the locker room, however, I had another weird, spectral moment as I walked back. I caught her out of the corner of my eye, the same blonde woman I had seen here yesterday.

I turned fully to look at her, then rubbed my eyes. She was still there….damn, I was hoping I was just seeing things and I could go on my merry way. I stared at her another moment and shook my head. "Who _are_ you?" I found myself asking quietly.

She turned to look at me again (she was facing the exit of the gym, luckily no one was using it yet), but this time she didn't disappear. "You _can_ see me," she muttered and floated over to me. No, she didn't walk, she freaking _floated_. "I thought it was just a coincidence yesterday, but I was wrong," she said, "it must be the Mark. That must be it."

She reached out and traced her finger across my Mark. I didn't feel a human's touch, I felt a breeze and a chill, a really cold chill. "_What_ are you?" I asked and took a step back, touching my fingertips to my Mark. My skin was even ice cold. This was…this was beyond freaky.

She smiled serenely at me, "that is not something I can tell you, fledgling. No one could see me for quite some time, so I figured I did not need Nyx's warning of no one knowing of my existence. You should not even know I am here, I should be able to free my heart and then be back," she told me in a cryptic way.

I tried to figure out what she meant and shook my head in confusion, "obviously if I can see you, then I should know of your existence…maybe I'm meant to help 'free your heart'…whatever that means," I offered the only thought in my head. I was confused, so I'm not quite sure how I knew what to say…the words just kinda came out.

That smile she had stayed in place. "That is for you to figure out for yourself, Jennifer," well hell, she knew my name too, "I should be going…I have overstayed my time for the day. I hope to see you again, thank you," she nodded to me and just like that, she disappeared in a gold-ish mist.

What. The. Fuck? I stood staring at the spot she disappeared in, unable to form words or even a coherent thought. Seriously, what the hell? Did I…no, there was no way in hell. Yet my mind kept telling me anything was possible at this time, so yes, ghosts were too. Ironically enough, that was the _only_ logical explanation I had for what just happened, a ghost.

"JC, why are you still in the gym?" I was shaken out of my thoughts and whirled around at Dragon's demanding question. He looked pale and his eyes looked a little puffy…like he'd been crying.

Fledglings who were leaving stopped and watched in curiosity. I always found it rather funny how a kid getting in trouble could interest _everyone_, no matter what type of student they were. I guess they were waiting for some type of show.

"I-I was just cleaning up," I answered as honestly as I could and ducked my head. I was still rather shaken from the mysterious woman I was talking to, "sorry…sorry, I'll go," I muttered and hurried off to the locker rooms.

Once again, the place was nearly empty, and I changed quickly, deciding to forego the shower/rinse off. Yeah, sorta gross, but I made Luke promise to keep him and Damien back from lunch, I shouldn't take a good ol' time getting out. So I just threw my clothes back on and raked a hand through my hair once or twice before jogging back out and meeting up with the two guys. I was also attempting, and failing miserably, to put what happened with Ghost Lady (that's what I officially decided to call her) in the back of my mind to be sorted out later. It was going to be a long rest of the day.

"Finally," Luke grumbled teasingly as we took up walking to the dining hall.

"Sorry, it took a while to clean up…Dragon caught me in the gym too," I said, feeling the need to respond somehow.

"He isn't that bad," Damien said, "I saw what transpired between you two, it wasn't that much. But usually he wouldn't care, this war has been as tough on him as it has been us. I don't necessarily agree with his decisions, but I can understand him, losing Anastasia was devastating," he explained.

"Anastasia," I muttered, a surprising theory coming to mind. Was it possible…? "What was she like? I've heard a lot of people mention her but not actually what she was like," I asked.

"She was really a beautiful woman, inside and out," Luke sighed, "blonde hair, blue eyes, wise, caring, strong-willed, devoted to Nyx…really anything good you'd have to say about someone was true of Anastasia."

Damien nodded in agreement, "all of that is accurate."

Blonde, blue eyed, wise, devoted to Nyx? Plus I almost always saw her in the gym whenever Dragon was around or doing something…was I really seeing Anastasia? And if I was seeing the former professor, was I _really_ seeing her or was I hallucinating? But if I was hallucinating, why would my mind give me pictures of a woman I never even knew the appearance of until right now? "Sounds like someone I wish I could've met," I managed to get out while I fell into my thoughts focusing on my mental health and what was going on.

Luke and Damien got into a conversation about their sketching class, so I followed just slightly behind them in my own world without being questioned. I really didn't even realize that I got food and sat down at the table until the others started speaking to me. It was all mechanical.

"So chief, what's the plan here?" Aphrodite asked with her usual snarky tone and sarcasm.

"Chief?" I asked and raised an eyebrow with a bit of a smirk, "that's worse than Priestess I think. And what do you mean what's the plan? What's the plan for what?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know…after school studying?" she retorted and rolled her eyes, "Zoey, Skye, Neferet, any shit pertaining to those areas?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" I exclaimed, "because, you know, between a funeral and having classes I've been able to figure that stuff out," I sighed, "I haven't heard from Z or Stark, granted I really haven't been paying attention to my phone. So right now, I'm just as out of the loop as you guys," I explained and pulled out my phone, turning it on. The moment the screen popped up, my phone let out a trill.

"I have a voicemail from Zo, let's find this stuff out then," I announced and pressed my phone to my ear.

"Hey JC, I know you're in class right now, but I figured you'd get this eventually. Stark and I aren't coming in, we both figured it was probably best that way. Tell everyone to come back once classes are done, and if you and Gwen could come too that would be great. It's…a long story to explain why I want you and Gwen to come, but please just do. Uh…see you soon then, bye," Zoey's voice came over the phone. "To delete this message, press 7, to…" I flipped my phone shut as the annoying woman came on.

"Well?" Aphrodite pressed as everyone else waited.

"She wants you guys back after class…and she wants me and Gwen to go with you," I answered.

"Why does she want ya'll too?" Stevie Rae asked.

I shrugged and looked to Gwen, who was sitting with us as well, "I don't know why she wants us, she didn't say. Are you free for that?" I asked.

She glanced to Maggie worriedly, luckily the brunette didn't seem to catch it. I can't imagine she would be happy to know that Gwen was worried about what was going on. "I guess I can be," my roommate shrugged, "I mean…it isn't preapproved but…"

"I really don't give a rat's ass if it's preapproved or not," I growled and stabbed at my salad with a fork. When I noticed that everyone was giving me strange looks without stopping I sighed, "I know I've only been here a few days, but Neferet's really getting to me. She's messing with me, and more importantly she's messing with my family and friends."

They seemed to accept this and we fell into a somewhat awkward silence. "So uh…why isn't Z or Stark coming in today?" Damien asked, breaking the silence.

"Stark, probably because Zoey is there. Zoey, because we experienced the funeral from hell," I answered and ran a hand over my face, "the step-loser was his usual, hypocritical bastardly self and her biological father came around. I'm not sure how he knew what happened, but he appeared at the funeral. Let's just say that didn't go over too well," I explained, "it'd probably be best if you don't broach the subject around my cousin for a day or two…unless she seems really bad and out of it and the sorts."

"Wow," Stevie Rae muttered and shook her head, blonde curls flying, "that's a lot of crap. We'll make sure to do that…but I do wanna talk to my BFF eventually," she said.

"Thanks," I nodded and went back to playing with my salad. I was suddenly feeling very not hungry even though my brain knew I needed food. My stomach seemed to object to this option and I pushed the plate away from me a bit.

"What's wrong, JC?" Shaunee asked.

"Yeah, you look like I do after I find out that I missed a sale," Erin agreed.

I looked up and smiled a bit, "nothing. I just have a lot on my mind, and I'm not really hungry anymore. There's only a few minutes left, I want to get a head start to Spanish," I answered and got out of the usual booth, "just to clear my head and all. The funeral was rather rough on me too."

They all seemed to agree and let me go without question, for which I was thankful…until my roommate stopped me. "JC!" I turned around to face her, "we need to talk later, okay?" Gwen asked, looking a bit worried.

I nodded, "sure thing. I'll see you all later," I waved at them and then left lunch. Quinn had gone off during my transition to fourth hour, she had an aversion to anything pointy, so she didn't necessarily like fencing with the foils or any of that stuff. That left me on my own as I walked to Spanish in the night's air. It felt pretty good, and the cold was a slap in the face to me and my tired mind.

Nothing happened on my walk luckily. Really, by now I wouldn't have been surprised if Neferet, or some student, or a Raven Mocker, or hell…even a ghost decided to come and ambush me; it wouldn't have surprised me in the least. Actually, I was surprised that _nothing_ happened when I went to Spanish, but I took what I could get and collapsed into my desk at Spanish.

I sat there, head on my desk and eyes closed while trying to clear my mind until class started. It didn't really work since I was just starting to doze off when other fledglings started coming in and then Professor Garmey breezed into the classroom.

If I thought the class was bad with Zoey and Stark, it was worse without. I had absolutely no clue what was going on with the sheets or with anything our teacher said in Spanish. I was completely and totally lost, but that was alright because I was content to just sit in the back and go unobserved. Usually I didn't like to do that with classes, I'd rather get help…but c'mon, this was post Darkness Tulsa House of Night I was talking about.

I was relieved when fifth hour was done and glad to know that I'd be going to the stables for sixth. The smell of hay and the warmth was quite nice compared to the rest of the day, and I preferred to deal with the horses and Lenobia than any other professor…or Neferet. I did realize, however, that as everyone got to work…I wasn't quite sure what to do. I had never actually been assigned a stall or horse.

"Um, Lenobia?" I called when she was doing a checkup on everyone. Her gray eyes turned to me and I blinked, "do you want me to clean out Persephone's stall since Zoey isn't here?" I asked/offered.

"I want you to clean out Athena's stall, I will deal with Persephone myself," she answered and I nodded, setting off to it. "JC," Lenobia called after a moment and I turned back around, "what are you doing after sixth hour?" she asked.

"Zoey wanted to see me…so I was going to the tunnels, why?" I asked back.

"Is there any way you could come with me after class?"

"Um…maybe, I was supposed to be going with everyone else. Why, what's up?" I answered and walked back to my mentor.

"I would like for you to come with me to the airport, I have a friend coming in that I would like for you to me," Lenobia answered.

"O-k…" I responded, feeling like I wasn't going to get much more out of her, "I'll see what I can do after," I agreed.

"Good, now get to cleaning," she ordered and I did as she said, gathering supplies and going to clean out Athena's stall.

I'll admit, the mare was pretty clean it seemed. There wasn't a whole lot of crap (literal and figurative) that I had to clean up in the stall and I was done pretty quickly. When I was done, I once again asked Lenobia if she wanted me to do Persephone's stall too, but she said no again. So I waited in Athena's stall for a few minutes until the mare was brought back in.

"I want you to feed and water her. You'll find the food with everything else, there is a hose in the field house," my mentor told me and then disappeared again. Alright then, I could do that.

While Athena munched on some hay, I went around with her feeders, filled them, and brought them back, setting them up in the stall again. "There," I breathed, "all set."

"_Thank you." _I turned around to find Athena watching what I was doing intently.

"Uh, you're welcome I suppose," I shrugged, "just doing what I was told to do."

"_Still, I needed that stuff changed, so thanks,"_ she said and I just nodded.

The bell rang to signify the end of the hour and I jumped a bit, not expecting it. "I'll see you tomorrow then," I said to the mare and walked out of the stall. "Lenobia!" I called when I was nearly out of the stables. I got a faint response from the opposite end, "I'm going to go talk to the others, I'll be back in a bit," I told her then and set off to find everyone else.

That wasn't that hard since everyone, including Gwen, found me instead. "Ya ready to go, JC?" Stevie Rae asked when they spotted me.

"Actually, there's been a slight change in plans. Lenobia wants me to go to the airport with her to meet someone. I don't know who and I don't know why…but I feel like I need to go," I answered, "so I was thinking that you guys go ahead and Lenobia can drop me off on the way back here."

"Did you tell Zoey about this?" Damien asked.

"I found out about an hour ago…so no, I didn't," I answered, "she'll be fine with it. In the grand scheme of things, what's another half an hour?" I shrugged.

"What do you want us to tell her?" Stevie Rae asked.

"Just say that Lenobia wanted me to go with her and I'll be there ASAP," I said, "I'll see you all at the tunnels later. Stay safe," I added and turned to walk back to the stables. I froze when I saw the Ghost Lady again near the stables. I thought she said her time expired for the day...whatever that means? I heard most of the rest of them going to the van, but Rephaim lingered for a moment. I looked back and his eyes were wide and trained on the same spot.

"No," Rephaim breathed and shook his head, "it can't be."

I was surprised to hear him and I looked between Ghost Lady and Rephaim. She looked at both of us and then disappeared, but that didn't reset what just happened. "Could you see her too?" I asked quietly.

"That was Anastasia, that was the professor I killed," he whispered and looked very pain, "how is that possible?"

So he could…that meant I wasn't going crazy. That was a good thing, at least. "I don't know Rephaim, but she's been here a while. It's just another thing we have to figure out," I told him and got a somewhat bad feeling, "go back with the others and don't mention it," I made the quick order, "we'll figure that out too."

"I killed her JC," Rephaim said again, seeming not to have heard me.

"And I think she has forgiven you," I responded and placed a hand on his arm. That got him to look at me at least, "go back with Stevie Rae and the others, but don't mention anything right now, I don't want them worrying about this too, ok?" I asked.

"As you wish, Priestess," he nodded and went off. I let out a breath of relief and went back toward the stables in my own thoughts, figuring everyone else had left. So when Gwen fell in step beside me, I was a bit surprised. "Aren't you going with them?" I asked.

"Eh, I figured I'd go with you instead," she shrugged, "I'm curious as to who this friend is anyway."

"Alright then," I responded as Lenobia came out to meet us. "Gwen wanted to tag along if that's alright," I explained when the Horse Mistress looked a bit confused.

"I suppose that's fine," Lenobia nodded, "you are coming with me then?"

"So long as you can drop us off at the tunnels on the way back, it's fine," I answered.

"That can be arranged. Now come on, we have to get going soon, his plane lands in a couple minutes," she said and Gwen and I followed her to the car.

The car ride was quiet between Lenobia, who had few words, me, whose mind was racing with everything that went on today, and Gwen, who either had no idea what was going on or was being overwhelmed with everyone's thoughts. The trip to the airport went relatively fast and we were inside navigating our way through people in no time. Actually, the humans basically parted the seas for us. Yay for breaking the morning airport rush, but seriously, they acted like they'd never seen a vampyre before.

Pushing that thought aside, I looked to Lenobia, who appeared to be looking around for someone. "So uh…what does this friend look like exactly?" I asked, attempting to look around for any potential match.

"He's got a Mark…brown hair, blue eyes-"

Anything else my mentor was going to say was cut off by someone shouting her name. All three of us turned around to look at the man who called for her…and my eyes got a little wide. "Holy crap…he's freaking Indiana Jones," I muttered under my breath and Gwen giggled.

"So true," she agreed through her giggles. And it was, aside from shaggy brown hair, blue eyes, and serpentine like Mark, this dude was freaking Indiana Jones! He had the hat, the clothes…and dear Goddess was that _seriously_ a whip on his belt?

None of this seemed to faze Lenobia as she grinned and went over to hug him. Huh, I've never seen or heard of Lenobia be that affectionate. "Daniel, it's great to see you again," she said as they stepped out of the hug, "thank you so much for coming on such short notice."

"Not a problem, Lens," the man, Daniel, responded. Lens…? Gwen was sent into another bought of giggles with that and I couldn't help but to join her. "If what you told me was true, then I should be thanking you. I've been hearing the rumors, but I didn't think it was true until you told me," he added.

"It's true," Lenobia promised and motioned to me and Gwen as we calmed down, "I brought her along. Daniel, this is JC Redbird and her roommate Gwen Matthews, JC, Gwen, this is my friend, Daniel Kier," she introduced us.

Daniel shook hands with Gwen vampyre style and then came to me. "It is a pleasure to meet you JC, merry meet."

"It's nice to meet you too, merry meet," I responded and blinked, looking him over quickly, "so you are the author of the book I'm reading. It really is nice to meet you." For some reason, I was not thinking Indiana Jones wrote that when I was reading the book.

"Ah, so you do have the book. Good, I was hoping you would get that somehow," Daniel nodded contently, "now the airport is no place to be carrying this conversation. I have my bags, what do you say we continue this in the car?" he asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Lenobia agreed and we started back to the car.

Lenobia and Daniel were a couple steps ahead of us, talking and catching up it seemed. That left me and Gwen behind them to talk. "Well…he's an interesting one," she commented.

I smirked a bit, "I never would have guessed the information on my race was in the hands of Indy."

Gwen laughed but agreed, "he seems like a nice enough guy though, despite the Indiana Jones getup. I have a feeling Harley will like him."

"Harley's an Indy fan?" I asked.

"A bit, and the history vibe is rolling off of Daniel, they'll get along," she explained as we got into the car. I was in the back now since Daniel called (and got) shotgun.

"So JC," Daniel started, cutting off my conversation with Gwen, "tell me everything you know thus far about you and the race."

"Well," I sighed, going through everything I did and didn't know, "I know that I was blessed by Spirit instead of Night when I was Marked, and I know Spirit can Mark others through me since that has happened…"

"She's Marked fledglings already?" he exclaimed, looking between me and Lenobia.

"It was a new development, but yes, she did despite not being a tracker," Lenobia answered for me.

"Interesting," he muttered, "ok, continue."

"Um…I know about Charges, I currently have two. I know what guide animals are and I know mine is the wolf, and I know about my affinity for Spirit…but not how deep it runs," I listed off.

"You are farther ahead than I expected, and you are much more powerful than your predecessors, that much I can tell already," Daniel said, "actually, I could tell that by your fully purple Mark."

"Um…thanks?" I said questioningly.

"It is a good thing, you are welcome," he responded and I could see he smiled in the mirror. "Even though you are farther ahead, there is still a lot for you to learn. How tired are you now, we could start the moment we get back to the House of Night," he offered.

"We aren't actually going back to the House of Night right away," I said as Lenobia pulled off the main road, "Gwen and I have to meet with my cousin and her circle for reasons unbeknownst to us."

"Ah yes, this ever puzzling circle and powerful fledgling," he nodded, "fair enough. How about we start tomorrow then?"

"Sounds good," I agreed as Lenobia pulled to a stop in front of the depot. "And thanks Lenobia for bringing us here."

"It's alright, just get back to the house safe," my mentor said as Gwen and I got out. We watched a moment as Lenobia pulled back out on the main road before going into the depot basement.

"He seems like a genuine and honest guy," Gwen broke the silence, "I didn't pick up any Darkness or bad thoughts off of him."

"Neither did I, once I got past the Indy getup he seemed cool," I joked.

"Yeah, that was more than a little surprising," she laughed, "but hey, who are we to judge?"

I chuckled, "very good point. Now, let's go see what they want of us."


	27. Falling Into Place

_A/N: New look for the note this time since it's super long...and the bold bugged me. Yeah, I know I'm a day late...so I come with another long chapter (and long A/N...sorry but I have a lot of **semi-important to important info**). Why are they getting longer you may ask? Because I'm nearing the end of part one, believe it or not. There's probably around three chapters left of this before part one is done...I'm really surprised!_

_So, a couple things. First off, thank you to Nicki and Tarah (especially you =D) for reviewing the past couple of chapters and thanks to KShade, HeyPersonWithTheUnibrow, and Lunaria Celeste for favoriting/subbing/whatever it is you did to this story. And, if I have forgotten to personally thank you now or in the past...then I really am sorry, I just have a tendency to be that scatterbrained at times. It's not that I don't appreciate it, because I do, so thank you all too...it really does mean a lot to me, i just sometimes can't remember who did what when and all that information needed._

_Two, with that being said, I am still in a bit of a slump and I would absolutely** LOVE** it if you guys would review. I know, I'm probably starting to sound like a review whore or whatever...but hear me out. I write for you guys, I really do, and I love to hear what you guys think and want to say. Almost every writer does and every writer lives off of feedback. I probably would be less worried about it right now if I weren't in a slump...but it's seeming to be something that I can't pull myself out of right now. I'm hoping with some feedback and knowledge that people really are still reading will help a lot. So, I'll get on my knees and beg, **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE** review!_

_Third, now, with that being said...I'm also behind on my own reading. I read a lot around here, and I need to catch up on that and review on other works myself. I'm working on it. Right now on my list is KShade's Fire and Ice, Tarah's Now It's My Turn, and AnnieHonson's Reincarnated, and I think there's a few more that I can't remember and am too lazy to currently look up. Plus, I have some VA fics to read and more. Again, I'm working on it, I promise._

_And last but not least, fourth. I mentioned above that part one is almost done. I'm not saying where or exactly how part 1 ends, but part two revolves around the gang going to Skye and JC, Rephaim, and Aphrodite learning more about the Spirit vampyres of the past and what that means for the present while everyone simultaneously learns about the Darkness and what it will take in order to defeat it. Along with a bunch of other stuff going on, but that's the basic plot. Two things about this. One, I may, /MAY/, create a Submit Your Own for this for a couple of minor characters...I'm undecided of yet. Two, I'm thinking of titling part two 'Chaos of the Past.' I know it isn't much to go off of, but based on the summary...does this seem like a good title? **Curious on your thoughts, as always.**_

_Ok, long note done. On to the story. This chapter is dedicated to Tarah for just being awesome...and I don't want to do a disclaimer...I hope you all know the drill by now._

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><p><strong><span>Zoey's POV<span>**

When I woke up, I had no idea where I was or how I got there. Looking around, I noticed I was in my and Stark's room in the tunnels and Stark was lying next to me, watching me with a smirk. "Morning, how're you feeling?" he asked.

"How'd I get here?" I asked wearily, trying to clear the sleep from my eyes and brain.

"JC brought you back after you fell asleep on the way here from the funeral," Stark answered, "again I'll ask, how're you feeling?"

"Tired, very tired," I mumbled then realized something odd, "where is everyone else? I don't hear anyone…"

"Oh, by this point in time, probably third hour," my Guardian answered after a moment of thought.

That woke me up. "Third hour?" I exclaimed and sat up, "why didn't anyone get me…I should be in class!"

"Well, your cousin thought it would be best to let you sleep…and I agreed. So we let you sleep, JC said she'd take care of it with Neferet and all of that," he explained and gently pulled me back down to the bed, "you had a rough time with the funeral she said…?"

"Yeah, yeah," I answered after a moment, the memories coming back, "it wasn't exactly the best time in my life seeing as though it was my mother's funeral."

"Right…" Stark muttered, "kind of a stupid question. Sorry…"

"It's alright," I said after a moment, "I'm just really tired and all I really want to do is go back to sleep."

"Then go ahead," he said, "as I said, JC promised she'd take care of it. No one is going to blame you for taking the day off after your mom's funeral. And after everything else."

I sighed, "yeah, but I still have to do a lot, like get into contact with Sgiach again to see what's going on there."

"Well that shouldn't take too long, right?"

"No, if Damien left his laptop here anyway," I agreed and made my way out of bed. Yeah, I realized in a way that was kind of stealing…but no one else had a computer here and I _really_ needed to use it. It's not like I was going to take it and keep it, I just really needed to borrow without permission.

As I walked through the tunnels, I attempted to rub the sleep from my eyes. I really didn't expect to sleep that long or that well after everything, but that was alright and I was rather happy that JC and Stark decided I needed it, because I did.

I walked into Damien's room with a sigh and started looking around. It wasn't that hard to find his laptop, his room was so neat and organized already. Gently, I lifted the lid to it and woke it up from sleep mode. He didn't have a lock on his computer, so I got on and checked the internet connection. Oddly enough, there was a little bit. That was nice because I didn't have to go up to the basement, but still strange because I was in the tunnels. I'll never understand WiFi connection.

I got online and checked my e-mail, and sure enough, there were two new messages from both Sgiach and the High Council. I opened the one from the queen first and read through it. All I could think after that was how fast they got back to us…and I checked the High Council's e-mail too…it just confirmed what Sgiach said. Tomorrow, Queen Sgiach was sending a plane for us tomorrow night for our approved transfer to Skye. Holy crap! Tomorrow, we were leaving tomorrow! I gotta let everyone know!

I quickly closed out and shut Damien's laptop then basically sprinted through the tunnels back to my rooms. "Stark! Have you seen my oof…" I was cut off as Stark grabbed my wrist and smashed his lips to mine.

It wasn't necessarily unwelcomed, but unexpected and so _not_ what I needed to do right now. I felt his hand slipping up the back of my shirt and he then actually _bit_ my lip. I physically pushed him back and took a few steps away from him. "What the hell, Stark?" I shouted.

I watched as his eyes flashed from red back to their natural brown and that seriously scared me. My Guardian was not right…something was definitely going on with him, I just didn't know what. "Z! Damn it, I'm so sorry! I just…I got…" Stark gasped out, "I am _so_ sorry!"

I looked at him for a moment and bit my lip, "why did you just do that?" I asked quietly. I was seriously afraid of him right then.

"I…I don't know," he said and looked at the wall, not meeting my gaze, "I got your feelings through the bond and I just thought you needed a distraction…like that," he muttered out, seeming unsure.

"Well I don't need one," I stated firmly, "especially not like that. Do you know where my phone is?" I asked, not wanting to get too much on the topic. It was upsetting.

"JC gave it to me, I think I left it on the kitchen table. Why?" Stark asked.

"I got confirmation from Sgiach and the High Council, we're going to Skye _tomorrow_. I need to call someone at school right now and tell them to bring everyone back, including my cousin," I explained.

"Tomorrow? Already?"

"Yeah, I'm just as surprised," I agreed and turned to go to the kitchen. I was stopped by my Guardian.

"Zoey," I turned around, "I really am sorry…I don't know what came over me."

I gave him a small smile to show I wasn't mad. I couldn't stay mad at him, but I was still worried…and a little frightened. "I know, it's…it's okay. Thanks for trying to comfort me, even though it wasn't the best way to do it," I responded and went off to the kitchen.

Sure enough, my phone was sitting on the kitchen table. Wondering, I opened it up to find that I didn't have any bars. Okay, so there's a connection in Damien's room but not the kitchen? Again, I'll never understand WiFi or anything of the sort. Letting out a sigh, I walked back to Damien's room and, yup, I had one bar on my phone. It was enough to get a call to my cousin.

I got her voicemail, as I expected, but left a message anyway. "Hey JC, I know you're in class right now, but I figured you'd get this eventually. Stark and I aren't coming in, we both figured it was probably best that way. Tell everyone to come back once classes are done," I paused. The Stark situation was still worrying me, and maybe someone else could help, "and if you and Gwen could come too that would be great. It's…a long story to explain why I want you and Gwen to come, but please just do. Uh…see you soon then, bye," I said and shut my phone.

Hoping to not get ambushed again, I walked back to our room and was a bit relieved to see Stark on the bed. "Everything's done for right now," I announced and lied back on the bed myself, "and I'm still really tired."

"Then go back to sleep," Stark responded and kissed the top of my head, "I'll wake you up when everyone gets back."

I let out a breath and shut my eyes, "ok," I muttered out an answer and I was asleep again within moments. What was nice about this whole thing was that I hadn't had any weird dreams in the past couple of days. This was no exception since I just had a good, solid sleep until everyone got back.

First, I faintly heard voices and then felt a firm shaking on my shoulder. "Z, wake up, everyone's back," Stark told me and I opened my eyes. I let out a groan and rubbed them before sitting up and looking around. "Do you uh…intend on going out there and not just staring at the wall?" Stark asked with a chuckle and I looked at him standing next to me.

"Yeah, I guess I have to meet them," I answered groggily and got up. Getting woken up like this wasn't the best for my mind, but it was slowly coming around. I took Stark's offered hand and went out to see everyone coming back from school.

Everyone was setting down their stuff on the kitchen table and didn't seem to notice us…that is until my BFF. "Z," Stevie Rae said quietly and came over, giving me a hug, "how are you?" she asked, "JC told us that the funeral didn't go too good."

Huge understatement there. "I'm alright," I answered half-convincingly. I wasn't really alright…but that's the answer you always give. "And what did JC tell you all?" I asked.

"About John and your biological father coming about," she answered as she pulled away, "but maybe that's something you and me wanna talk about later alone? And are you sure you're alright?"

"Maybe not right now, but I will be," I promised, "and yeah, it'd be better to talk about later. Especially since I've got some good news," I announced to everyone.

"What's this about, Sleeping Beauty?" Aphrodite asked as everyone looked up to me.

I rolled my eyes and was about to say something back when I realized we were missing someone. Two someones actually. "Where's JC and Gwen?" I asked to anyone willing to answer.

"Lenobia wanted JC to go with her for some reason, and Gwen opted to go with them. They'll be here as soon as they can be," Damien explained.

I repressed a groan of frustration. She couldn't follow simple instructions? Though really, I shouldn't be getting mad at my cousin. After everything she did for me today and with people pulling her in different directions, I really shouldn't be getting mad. Still, this was a bit of a setback since I wanted to tell everyone together. "Ok, well in the meantime I'll tell all of you then," I sighed but smiled when I looked at them all, "we're leaving for Skye as of tomorrow after school and the rituals. Sgiach is sending us our own plane to transfer."

There was a surprised silence for a bit, Shaunee was the first one to break it. "So, we're leaving tomorrow? Meaning we gotta get everything packed and ready to go before school tomorrow?" she asked.

"I know it's on short notice, but pretty much, yeah," I nodded.

"Well shit, Z, that doesn't leave us much time," Erin complained, "I mean…I don't even know where to start!"

"Don't worry, Twin, I'll help," Shaunee promised.

"Ok, while the Dorkamese focus on their wardrobe packing, can we get onto something a bit more important?" Aphrodite asked and flicked her hair back. What, she wasn't worried about packing? "Does Neferet know about this?"

That was a good question…and one I didn't have an answer to. "Neither of us was in school today," Stark answered, "so why don't you tell us?"

"Based on the way she was behaving, she had no clue. She was her typical, Neferet-like self," Damien said and looked down. There was something about the way he said it and then stared at his hands that made me wonder what else went on…but I let it go. He was having a tough time as it was, he would open up on his own time.

"So that would more than likely be a no," Aphrodite said and smirked a bit, "what I would give to be a fly on the wall when she found out. I'd love to see her shitting those kittens."

"Maybe you could be," a new voice came about and we looked to see JC and Gwen coming through the tunnels, my cousin grinning teasingly, "who knows, maybe your guide animal is the fly."

"Haha, funny," the Prophetess sneered, "I'm much too beautiful for a fly to even land on me…let alone to be one myself."

Gwen rolled her eyes, but JC still wore that smirk of hers. "Sure, we'll go with that. Anyway, what's going on with Neferet…why is she shitting kittens?" she asked.

"What'd Lenobia want?" I asked back, "and we've got a time table for Skye. Sgiach is sending a plane for us to leave tomorrow after the rituals."

"Tomorrow?" my cousin asked and her eyes widened, "damn, why such the short notice?"

"Don't know, but it's kind of a good thing. I get the feeling that we need to get out of here, and soon," I shrugged.

She seemed to understand and nodded, as did everyone else. No one wanted to be around Neferet anymore, least of all me. "So get your stuff packed and after the rituals tomorrow you're coming with us to the airport," I said and JC nodded again, "and speaking of rituals, I'd like to do a dry run of the circle right now while everyone's here."

"Why do you wanna do that?" Stevie Rae asked as they all looked at me oddly.

I smiled a bit at JC and sighed, "though I doubt we'll have any problems, I just want to make sure everything will run smoothly with JC at the reins of Spirit," I explained. I'd been thinking about this for a while, and though I had no doubt my cousin would be fine with Spirit, I wanted to be absolutely positive about it. A dry run was the best way to do so.

"Me?" my cousin asked.

"Yes you."

"Why me?" she asked.

"Well I wonder, dumbass," Aphrodite muttered, "you're only our High Priestess and have wicked control over your affinity for _Spirit_," she answered.

JC rolled her eyes, "well obviously. But why wouldn't you choose Aphrodite, she already is a Dark Daughter and is a bit better known and liked around here than me?"

"As much as I would love for Aphrodite to be Spirit," I said and the girl in question snorted, "I want the strongest circle tomorrow night, and that means you're in. Now everyone get your candle if you have one and meet me in the basement in five," I ordered.

"Why the basement, couldn't we just do it here?" Damien asked.

"Yes, but we have a closer connection to all of the elements upstairs, and we don't have an overabundance of Earth up there," JC explained for me, though seemed a bit surprised that she knew that.

"Exactly, thank you Spirit, now go," I teased and went with Stark to get my purple candle for JC.

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

With that said and done, I shrugged and went up to the basement with Gwen, my mind once again swirling. How much information (including stuff that I didn't know like the info about the circle) could I take in one day…I mean really? "So, you're leaving tomorrow," Gwen's comment shook me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered and looked around the dank room once we were in the basement, "that's really surprising…and such short notice."

"It doesn't give you much time to work with Daniel either," she pointed out and I groaned.

"I didn't even think of that, damn it!" I exclaimed, "I was hoping to work with him at least a little bit more than the potential of an hour for one day."

"Yeah," Gwen agreed, "but didn't you say that Daniel got some of his information from Sgiach?"

"The majority of it, yeah," I nodded, "so I guess that is a good thing in that aspect. But still, such short notice."

"You'll be alright," she promised, "you all will be. Just think, you'll be out of this mess in a short bit. Just one more day."

"Yeah, and leaving you all here to deal with it," I grumbled. I still felt really guilty for that, and though I knew it was best for me to get to Skye, I didn't want to leave Gwen and Maggie and the rest left here to deal.

"Hey, don't feel bad," she said and bumped my hip with her own, "we'll be able to handle it, we did before you got here. And you'll be back, we all know that, you promised us that."

"Yeah, I know…" anything else I was going to say was cut off as Z and the circle came up from the tunnels, each with their respective candle. "So uh, what goes on with this exactly?" I asked.

"Just take this candle and stand in the center. Stevie Rae, you know where north is?" Zoey asked and handed me a candle.

Stevie Rae nodded and went to stand where north was apparently, and everyone else spread out based on that and their element. I walked into the center with my candle and with Zoey, who had a lighter and went to Damien with Air.

"Air, you give us our first moment of life. Please, join us in the circle," Z called out strongly as she lit the candle. I felt a bit of a breeze as Damien and Zoey's hair floated about like they were in a windstorm. Huh, so this was what a circle was really like. I mean, my cousin had explained it to me before, but it was always cooler in person.

My cousin was about to move on when something started rising in my stomach. It was a tingling sensation rising up and…suddenly I had the desire to speak. "Zo, hold up a second," I said and stuck out my hand, facing Damien. The circle, along with Aphrodite, Darius, Stark, Rephaim, and Gwen, who were outside, gave me a strange look. I let out a breath and then let Spirit and Nyx guide my words (the only explanation I had for it), "spirit of Air, please come forth and be with the one you have claimed as a Son!" I called into the air.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a loud screech rang through the room and out of midair, a wispy, gray and white eagle came swooping down and landed on Damien's shoulder. His wide eyes and expression probably matched my own, and everyone else's as we looked at the spirit bird resting on his shoulder.

"How did you do that? How did you _know_ to do that?" Zoey asked in shock.

"I…I don't know, I just _did_," I answered and blinked, "I just _knew_."

"Nyx is guidin' all of us," Stevie Rae said and smiled, "pretty dang cool if you ask me."

"Is…is it going to hurt me?" Damien asked quietly.

"_You are my Son,"_ the bird (!) said in a feminine voice, "_I shall not hurt you."_

That's when it hit me. "It's like what you said...each element has an animal representative. She's the spiritual…or animalistic representation of Air, she won't hurt you Damien," I promised and turned to Zoey and Shaunee, "wanna keep going?"

Zoey turned to look at Shaunee, who seemed calmed down enough to give a nod. "Fire, you give us the heat we need in order to keep ourselves warm. Please, join us in the circle!"

I took a breath and nodded. "Spirit of Fire, please come forth and be with the one you have claimed as a Daughter!" I shouted. A roar echoed off the walls and a tiger, looking much like the eagle with the gray and white wisps, padded over to Shaunee and curled around her legs. Shaunee, in turn, let out a disbelieving giggle and looked down at her.

"_Greetings, Daughter,"_ the tiger responded. Okay, each elemental representation could talk…cool. This was so strange, and yet so awesome at the same time!

Zoey moved on to Erin by this point, and I turned as well. "Water, you supply us with the necessity of life, please join us in the circle," she called and lit the candle.

"Spirit of Water, please come forth and be with the one you have claimed as a Daughter," I called as well and, in the waves lapping at Erin and Zoey's feet, a dolphin clicked and appeared. She said nothing, so we moved on.

By the point we got the Earth, Stevie Rae seemed like she was going to jump out of her skin she was so excited. "Earth, you are where we all come from, please join us in the circle!"

"Spirit of Earth, please come forth and be with the one you have claimed as a Daughter!" I just kept saying those words again because I didn't know what else to say. I felt no urging or help from Nyx or Spirit now, like I had when Air came about, but knew I had to keep going.

A deer, looking like the others, appeared and stood next to Stevie Rae, as graceful and agile as ever. "_I am just as glad to meet you as well,"_ the deer stated, apparently noticing the red vampyre's excitedness (yes it's a word…deal with it).

Zoey smiled and came to me. "I knew there was a reason I chose you," she stated simply and then, "Spirit, you are our essential being, please join us in the circle," and lit the candle.

I was about to say the same thing as before, when different words escaped my mouth, "Spirit, please send your representation to be with the one you have claimed as a Daughter," I said instead. We waited for only a moment before a howl rang out and a wolf came sauntering forward. I was entranced by her beauty…and glancing around, everyone else was entranced by the beauty of their respective element. This was…what was going on right now was beyond imagination.

"_I am so very glad to have one to claim as my Daughter again,"_ the wolf stated and stood proudly beside me.

With that done, a thread of light connected the circle, but instead of being silver like Zoey explained previously, it was gold, and not only connected the outer circle, but Spirit was connected to each element by this thread as well. "A completed circle!" my cousin gasped.

"What do you mean, Z?" Damien asked, looking just as confused as the rest of us. The representations were quiet, but seemed to understand. I wondered why they refused to say anything.

"Before we had JC, the circle was connected by a silver thread, now it's gold and comes to Spirit as well. It's a completed circle," Zoey explained. How she knew that, I didn't know…and I had a feeling she didn't either. There was Nyx's hand guiding us again. Thank you so much, Goddess.

"So JC did this?" Shaunee asked.

"No," I shook my head, "I was just the final piece to this circle, the vampyre for Spirit…we _all_ did this, us and our affinities. It's a mighty strong circle without me...only a little bit stronger with me. So is this it?" I asked.

"There's more for the ritual tomorrow. We…" she paused and threw a sympathetic glance at Damien, "need some music for tomorrow night…would you mind doing it?"

"Me?" I asked, "as in like…singing?"

"Why not? Ya'll can sing great, JC," Stevie Rae shrugged.

"Sure I guess, if that's alright with everyone else," I answered with a shrug of my own.

When everyone agreed, Z continued, "well, then that's all needed for tonight. I'm going to close the circle, do you know what you need to do?"

I laughed, "Zoey, I didn't know what I needed to do when the circle _started_. I'll just follow my instinct again for closing," I responded.

My cousin seemed to accept this and started closing the circle. I didn't feel any need to do anything, and it seemed like I didn't have to. When Zoey dismissed an element, the representative went with it…easy as that. When the circle was done, I suddenly felt a little wobbly and stumbled a few steps back.

Rephaim was there luckily and he steadied me out. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

I shook it off and stood back up straight. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little wobbly, probably from the energy usage during the circle, I'll be alright," I promised and made my way back down into the tunnels.

"So that was beyond awesome," Gwen said, coming up beside me and following me down.

"And also beyond unexpected," I stated and sighed, "I'm not even sure what to say to that…or how it happened…or anything."

"Like Stevie Rae said, Nyx is guiding us all. Maybe it's in Indy's book," she suggested.

It took a moment for me to figure out what she meant, but I did. "Right, the book, maybe it is," I agreed, "Zoey, do you still have the book I gave you?" I asked, shouting a bit since she and Stark were almost gone to their room.

"After the Charge incident?" she asked, turning around and looking at me. I nodded, "yeah, it's in my room."

"Ok good," I said and looked around a moment. Rephaim and Aphrodite were both still within earshot too. "Aphrodite, Rephaim, come with me, this is something you probably want to see," I ordered and we all, including Gwen, went to Z's room, Aphrodite grumbling about wanting to be with her vamp or something.

"You wanted this?" Zoey asked, handing me the book as we all walked in.

"Yup," I said and took it, opening up to the table of contents, "huh, Rituals and All Things Magickal," I read aloud and chuckled, "in knowing Indy now, that doesn't really surprise me."

Gwen gave a chuckle in agreement, but everyone else looked confused. "Indy?" Stark asked.

"Yeah, Indiana Jones, aka Daniel Kier. That's what Lenobia wanted when I wasn't here, apparently she called Daniel in and we picked him up from the airport. He was dressed exactly like Indiana Jones, it was odd. He's the author of this book," I explained while flipping through the pages.

Once I got to the chapter, I started skimming the book for circles. I made a mental note as I passed something about ghosts and continued on. I wasn't going to stop because I didn't want anyone to know about my Anastasia moments (because_ I_ still didn't know what to think about them), but I decided it would definitely help later. When I finally found the section on circle casting, I grinned and started reading.

"Huh."

"Huh, what?" Aphrodite asked, crossing her arms.

"Apparently what happened today was totally normal," I stated, "well…obviously not in the modern day, but back in history when we existed. When a circle was cast, a Spirit vamp was almost always the representation for the element and was usually able to call the representations of the elements like that. Since Spirit is within everything, they are called by and show up as spirits and then they stay with their Son or Daughter throughout the ritual. Once they are freed and the representation has come into contact, that element becomes stronger within the person," I summarized what was written. It was a lot more in depth, but that summary got the main point across.

"So…that means what exactly?" my cousin asked.

"When the representation of the element physically, or spiritually as the case is, comes and claims someone as their Son or Daughter, said person's affinity for the element is increased. Increased or strengthened how and why, I dunno, it doesn't say…but you may wanna tell Damien, Stevie Rae, and the Twins this in case they start noticing something odd with their respective affinities. You too, for that matter, since you were the leader of the circle and you have an affinity for all five," I explained.

Zoey seemed to contemplate this a moment then nodded, "that's a bit strange, but I'll tell them to be aware of what's going on."

"It isn't really all that strange though," Gwen countered, "I mean, you figure the element physically/spiritually claims you, your affinity is going to get better because the element approves."

"Good point," I nodded and looked around the room for a moment. The thought struck me and I continued, "so, what did you want me and Gwen here for?" I asked to change the subject, "it couldn't just have been for the announcement and circle, since Gwen isn't really needed for that…no offense," I said and glanced at my roommate.

"None taken since it's true," she agreed and turned to Zoey.

"Well…" my cousin trailed off, "there's been something weird going on lately…" she said and glanced at Stark. Aphrodite snorted and I swore I heard something along the lines of 'no dipshit, Sherlock,' but ignored it. "Stark hasn't quite been acting like himself, and since you're a telepath, Gwen, I figured you could help along with JC since Stark is her Charge," Zoey explained in a rush.

"Whoa, wait, they're here for me?" Stark asked and turned to my cousin, "Z, I'm _fine_, I'm just tired and not sleeping well…that's my own problem. It's probably just some lingering effects from the Otherworld, nothing that won't go away."

"Yeah, but that's the problem," Zo countered, "you haven't been sleeping and it's been nearly two week since the Otherworld, you should be getting better, I did!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to go through the physical strain I did to get there."

"No, I only had my soul shattered by Kalona killing Heath…I think that may be a bit worse to the soul."

"You would think that, but you didn't have to go through what I did to get there!"

"No…I just…"

"Enough with this fucking lovers' quarrel!" Aphrodite shouted, effectively shutting them both up, "both of you had to go through some tough shit to get there and put the rest of us through hell waiting for you to get back! Stark, something isn't right with your head…even before we went to Skye that because you're a red vamp, and something's wrong with all of them with Darkness. Z was just looking out for you and it can't hurt to let JC and Gwen take one damn look can it?" she asked.

Both of them turned to look at me and I shrugged, "I agree with what Aphrodite said surprisingly enough. Clearly, if you aren't getting over the symptoms from the Otherworld then something's up…Gwen and I could help."

Stark let out a resigned sigh and Z looked a little smug. "Fine, let's just get this over with so your mind can be put to rest," he said, looking at Zoey then at us.

"Fair enough," Gwen shrugged, "just relax and open your mind up, it'll make it easier for both of us," she ordered and sat him down on the bed. After a moment, she closed her eyes to focus and Stark looked a bit uncomfortable.

"It's weird knowing someone else is in your head," Stark explained after I was about to ask why he looked uncomfortable. I shut my mouth and nodded.

"Well that's odd," my roommate said after another few moments of silence, opening her eyes again and looking confused, "I got Stark's thoughts…but there was another connection. It was buried way in the back, but there were thoughts in there that weren't his. I tried to dip into it, but it blocked me out almost immediately," she paused, like she was debating to add, "by Darkness," she finally finished quietly.

"By Darkness?" Zoey echoed and instantly looked to me, "is there anything you can do that she couldn't?"

"Already on it," I said and sat down on the bed on the other side of Stark. He was looking a little more worried and less sure of himself now. I didn't blame him. "Spirit, come to me," I called and let the element was over me. Both of my Charge Marks glowed like they knew what I wanted, and I shook my head, "only Stark. Please allow me to connect with him, showing me what Gwen couldn't see," I explained to it.

I let out a breath and closed my eyes, allowing Spirit to do what it did best, and then my spirit was connected to Stark's soul. It was one of the things that I actually knew since I read about Charges, we protected our Charges spiritually, so our spirit could often times connect with and fall into the Charge's soul in order to do our job better. So I was currently not in my body but in Stark's mind/soul, it was kinda like a room and I could explore it to see what was going on there. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. What surprised me though, was that there was something else there too, a figure that didn't belong was standing way in the back. I couldn't leave that figure there in Stark's soul…because it clearly wasn't Stark, so I approached. Upon hearing me or sensing me, the figure turned around and he was the last person I wanted to see there.

A man with black hair, black wings, and amber eyes stood before me. It only took me a second to realize who it was and I shook my head. "Ah yes, hello Wa-ya, you are the one I have _truly_ been waiting to see," he said and shot a feral grin at me.

"No, no, no," I said and backed up, "Spirit, you may release me," I ordered as Kalona got up and approached me. It worked, and I let out a gasp as I opened my eyes again, my soul returning to my own body. "Kalona!" I exclaimed and took a breath, "Kalona, it's Kalona."

"Kalona, what's Kalona? What'd you see, JC?" Zoey asked, nearly as frantic as I felt.

I took another couple of breaths to calm down then looked to Stark. "Kalona has claimed part of your soul, he has part of your soul Stark, he's in there, he's in _you_."

"He…are you positive of this?" Stark asked, his face falling, "how could that've happened?"

"I saw him there, yes, I'm positive," I said, "how it happened though, I don't know."

"I do," Rephaim spoke up and I turned to look at my fledgling, nearly forgetting he was still there. "With what happened in the Otherworld, my father breathed life back into you, Stark. By breathing life back into you, he has a part of you, just as you have a part of him, it is a connection he learned to use so he could control you. After what happened with Neferet, I did not think he would still use it, I am saddened to say that I thought incorrectly," he explained.

"Why didn't you tell us this immediately, Rephaim?" Zoey asked, sounding way harsher than she needed to. She was frightened and worried, I got it, still…no reason to blame him.

"I apologize, Zoey, I did not think it was pertinent anymore," he answered and bowed his head.

"Anything with Kalona and us is pertinent to us!" she yelled.

"Zoey, calm down," I barked and shot her a look before turning to Rephaim, "he had hope that his father would change and he was wrong, there is no problem being a son to hope for change and he told us what we needed when we needed it. Is there anything else?" I asked.

"No, Priestess, well, actually yes. Because Kalona breathed life into you, Stark, you are not fully mortal anymore, just as my father is not fully immortal. Because he shared part of his soul, he weakened his immortality and strengthened yours. That is all that I know, Priestess," Rephaim answered.

I nodded, "thank you, Rephaim," I said and looked down to the book again. Having an idea, I flipped open the book back to the Charges chapter and started reading it again. "This may explain a lot actually, at least to me," I said and looked up, "a Guide protects her Charge from anything that may harm the soul. Kalona would definitely harm Stark's soul. Have you been having as many bad dreams as before?" I asked.

"Come to think of it, no, I haven't been having as many or nearly as bad," Stark answered after a moment's thoughts.

"And yet I've been having more and having worse. What about blacking out or having anything seem like you're souls been invaded or anything else strange while you're awake?" I asked again.

"He's been getting better," Zoey answered, "still a few relapses from time to time, but it's been better since Skye."

"And yet I've been having moments where I feel tired or woozy, like I'm using too much energy, I just assumed it was from lack of sleep or something like that. And then I was pulled into your little rendezvous a few nights ago," I said and glanced at the book again, "I think I know what's going on here. Since taking you on as my Charge, I've been helping you out…subconsciously. My soul knows what to do and how to help and it's been doing it against Kalona. That's why I've been having the weird dreams and those moments, because I'm protecting you," I breathed. It was all starting to make sense now, and the best part? I wasn't going crazy, I was just doing what I needed to do! Oh thank Goddess!

"Well that can stop as of right now," Stark determined without a second thought, "now that we have an idea of what's going on, I can take care of it." There was that typical alpha male stance again.

"Stark…"

"You can't do that," I cut my cousin off, "Stark, I've been doing this for a reason, because I'm equipped with the ability to do all of this and because I'm meant to. I'm a Spirit vampyre, we take Charges because we can protect their souls from things that they can't…like Kalona. This is my job to do and my job to take care of, and so help me Nyx I'm gonna do so and I'm gonna do so right," I promised.

"Yes, but JC, I'm a Guardian and a Warrior, I'm meant to protect Zoey and if I can't protect myself from someone like Kalona, how am I to protect her from him and other threats?" Stark asked and looked at me.

"By accepting that you need help," Rephaim answered instead, though I nodded in agreement, "Neferet is crazy and swelling with power from Darkness. No one is going to be able to beat her alone, we are stronger by staying together and helping each other in their weaknesses with our strengths. This is the only way we stand a chance in this fight."

"It's okay to ask for help," Zoey added and took his hand, "no one will think any less of you for doing so, especially me."

Stark seemed to start accepting this and turned back to me again, "but what about you? Have you been sleeping well or feeling good about this? I don't want you getting hurt by helping me, JC," he said.

"Eh, what else is new?" I asked and chuckled, "I'll be alright Stark, believe me, I can handle this. Just let me work with it."

"And I'll be there to yell at her when she's doing too much," Gwen added and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway.

"Alright," he relented, "alright…do what you need to do, just get Kalona the hell out of me. It's creepy as fuck," he muttered.

I laughed again, "will do, I'll try my hardest."

"Ok, now that this sickening Kodak moment is done," Aphrodite butted in, "can we get back to the issue on hand? If Kalona is controlling Stark, does that mean he's back and under Neferet's control?" she asked.

"My father refuses to be under Neferet's control, his oath was broken," Rephaim stated, "but it does not mean that he will not go back to her and help her in her fight," he sighed sadly.

"So in that case, it's possible he'll still work with Neferet?" Z asked.

"Anything with him is possible," his son nodded an answer.

"We need to know if that's going on, especially us after you guys leave," Gwen pointed out, "but how are you going to do that if Kalona hurts Stark and we don't know where he is?" she asked.

I smirked, an idea forming in my head. "Let me take care of that, I'll get that answer myself," I promised and stood up from the bed, grabbing my book, "so…is there anything else?"

"Yeah, just exactly what the hell do you intend to do in order to get that information?" Aphrodite demanded.

"That's probably not an answer you're gonna want to know," I responded, "both for your safety and so you don't try to stop me."

"Is it something stupid?" Zoey asked.

"What do you think?" I retorted, "I'll stay safe…nothing'll happen, promise. And have I ever broken a promise before?"

She answered reluctantly, "no."

"Exactly, so just don't worry about it, I'll be alright," I said, "now back to my last question, anything else?"

"I think," Stark sighed, "I think we're finally alright for now."

"Good, then we should probably head back," I responded, looking to Gwen, "I'll get that info for us and see what I can do about Kalona. For now, we'll get back to the House of Night and I'll see/talk to you all tomorrow. Wish me luck, bye guys," I said and headed out of the room, Gwen on my heels.

We walked through the tunnels and once we were back outside, we started conversation again. "So what _do_ you intend to do?" she asked as we started our walk back to the house.

"Again, probably better I didn't say," I answered with a shrug.

"Why?" she asked, complaining a bit.

_Because if I get caught by Neferet, the less that know the better._ I thought that, entirely forgetting that she was telepathic. "_What_ do you intend on doing?" Gwen cried, apparently catching wind of what I was thinking.

"Something dangerous probably, but like I said…or thought, the less that know the better," I restated and sighed, "look, just let it go alright? I'll be fine, I'll get the answers, that's all that needed," I said resolutely, hoping to not have the topic pressed anymore.

"Ok…so what about everything else?" Gwen asked, thankfully changing the topic.

"What about everything else?" I asked with a shrug.

"Are we cool?"

I shrugged again, "I don't know why we wouldn't be."

"I mean you did kinda walk in on us and…"

"You forgot a sock, that was your only problem. Everything else, it's your business and completely understandable with what's going on, nothing to worry about," I interrupted.

"Yeah…but still it was…and I'm sorry for that," Gwen said and glanced to me.

"Apology accepted," I said and smiled, understanding what she was trying to say. We walked on in silence until the school came into view. Gwen seemed itching to get back and I smirked a bit, "want to see Maggie again I take it?" I asked.

"Yeah," she admittedly sheepishly, "do you mind? You don't need me for anything do you?" she asked.

"Nope, it's probably better if you aren't around most of the night with me anyway. Between packing, reading, and everything else, I'm gonna be busy and loud," I admitted.

"Right, with the suicide mission and all," she muttered.

"Suicide mission?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…" Gwen trailed off, "you refuse to tell me what you're going to do…so it's going to be known as the suicide mission until you get back safe and not dead."

"Oh, well that's good to know," I chuckled and shook my head as we walked back on campus, "I'm gonna be okay, no problem to it, I promise."

"I know," she sighed, "but it doesn't mean I can't worry about it."

"I'm saying _don't_ worry about it, there's no need to worry yourself over something that I'll be alright in doing," I said as we walked into the girls' dorm. "I'm gonna be fine, go meet with Maggie, and if the time is okay when I'm done, I'll come back and prove to you that I'm still alive, does that sound fair?" I asked.

"I'm not going to talk you out of whatever stupid stunt you're going to pull, am I?"

I grinned and shook my head, "nope."

"Then come find me when you get back and please, for the love of Nyx stay safe! We're starting to play with some serious fire now and I get the feeling that you're jumping head first into it covered in gasoline," Gwen told me.

_Probably because I am._ When she glared at me, I grinned sheepishly, "you weren't supposed to hear that. I'll be fine, and I'll come find you later, go be with your girlfriend and make sure she's alright."

"Be careful," she ordered and gave me a quick hug before reluctantly going off to Maggie's room.

With that averted, I went to our room to find that none of the animals were back yet either. That was lucky for me, so I slathered some concealer on my Marks and went over to the window, opening it just wide enough for a bird body to get out. Thus, I shifted into a bird and slid out of the window with relative ease. It would have to stay open, there was no way in hell I'd be able to close it. Plus, I'd need to get back in at some point.

I took to the sky and went to the professor's quarters, circling around Neferet's floor once, twice, three times before landing on the balcony it had. It appeared no one was there, which was odd since it was almost sunrise and I figured Neferet would spontaneously combust if any form of light touched her…but it didn't seem like she was there.

I let out a crow a couple times, and when no one shooed me away, I figured it was safe. Looking around to make sure no one was looking, I flew over to the door and shifted back. I carefully slid the door open (since I got extremely lucky that it was unlocked…or Neferet was just that confident that no one would break in, probably the latter) and snuck in. Yup, this was my plan, sneak into Neferet's quarters to see what she was hiding. A suicide mission like Gwen said? Well, only if the crazy bitch was here…otherwise it was a carefully, spot on plan that I crafted. Or still a really stupid idea for the risk, it could go either way honestly.

Letting out a breath of relief once I was inside, I immediately set to work. After a couple minutes, I finally found her desk with a bunch of strewn papers and the like. Hey, even crazy villains had paperwork and notes to themselves and such. I started going through them when the school roster wound up catching my eyes.

Curious, I took it and started going through it. I flipped to the back first where mine and Zoey's names were to take a look. There were notes to the side of both of our names, around Zoey's was mostly stuff about how she needed to be gotten rid of and ways to do so. There were notes as far back as the Loren issue with that. Around my name, it was a bit more surprising.

I learned that basically, Neferet was either going to get me to join her and get rid of me. The joining her notes were more surprising since there were observations about my Darkness and powers…but there was one thing especially troubling. Scrawled out was the phrase 'car crash: mother and brother claimed.' My heart fell…those words could only mean one thing, she knew about their deaths. How? I didn't know, and that worried me immensely, as well with the fact that she just _knew_. The fact that she knew and somehow found out…that was a major weapon against me. Sure, I moved on from it for the most part, even if it wasn't a particularly comfortable topic to talk about (and it never would be), and I had come to grips with everything (though I was still pissed the drunken bastard was never caught), but it was still powerful information in the wrong hands. And Neferet's hands were _definitely_ wrong.

Filing it away to think about for later, I continued on until Gwen and Damien came up. Around Damien was mostly just the information about Jack's death and how to use it against him. The bile in my throat rose up at that. Around Gwen…well that was interesting too. Neferet noted that she was a telepath and was able to resist Darkness, but there was more. She made a note that Gwen was more powerful than she believed. She was starting to grow into her powers, the notes eluded to, and that her age was what was holding her back. But then, off to the side was the question 'emotional hindrance…Maggie?' in red.

I was so caught up in trying to figure out what all of this meant. How could Gwen be more powerful? How could Neferet know this? And what kind of emotional hindrance did she intend to have with Maggie? I didn't even hear him approach until he spoke.

"What are you doing here?"

I whirled around and stared at him, standing in the doorway. Ah shit, I forgot about him! I swallowed loudly and sent a silent prayer to Nyx to not let Gwen be right about the suicide mission. "Aurox…"


	28. Tuesday: Part 1

_A/N: Only a few things. For one, this is not proof-read, so sorry for any mistakes. Two, mirrors are awesome, enough said._

_This is my second to last chapter. I put up an SYOC and I could still use quite a few characters for part 2, so please submit your characters over there! Um, otherwise, give me characters, review, all that good stuff._

_Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything sadly. Well, except for JC and all them people. The first song is 'Where is the Edge' by the ever wonderful Within Temptation, and I seriously suggest listening to it while reading that part. The second song line is from 'Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)' by the awesome Florence + The Machine, it's a pretty cool song._

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><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

"Aurox…" I said shakily and looked around quickly. There was absolutely no way that I could get out of this…I was guilty as sin holding the roster and creeping into Neferet's house. Goddess this was going to turn ugly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked again and started approaching me.

I took a step back and ran my thigh into the corner of the desk. I let out a hiss of pain and my leg buckled out from under me. "Damn it," I growled and started rubbing at the spot. I was going to have a nasty bruise there in a few hours.

"Are you okay?" Aurox asked and knelt down beside me. He tentatively reached out his hand toward my leg and I instantly smacked it away. The Darkness was still around him, and it was cold and pain inducing (as well as exhilarating…but I refused to acknowledge that part).

"I'm fine," I answered and got back up slowly, wincing slightly as the pain was sharp and then subsided some. Stupid corner of the desk. "Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, "I mean…I kinda broke into your home." Okay, I probably should have just run with my luck that Aurox hadn't attacked and left…but I was genuinely curious about it. He was a creature of Darkness, shouldn't he attack me?

"Priestess left me with no orders," he answered and stood up as well, "I shall not attack when not ordered to."

Priestess must be Neferet. "She didn't order you to do anything?" I asked, confused.

"Exactly," he nodded. He didn't seem to notice my confusion.

Well alright then. Neferet orders him to do stuff, that's new and not really good news either. "I should probably be going," I stated after a rather awkward silence. I set the roster down where I found it and turned to leave, hoping my luck stayed up.

"You have not answered my initial question," Aurox pointed out, "why are you here?"

I turned to look back at him and smiled a bit sardonically, "I'm not going to answer that, Aurox."

"Has Priestess ordered you not to?"

I had to resist laughing my ass off over that. Neferet ordering me…and me _listening_ to her? "No, Aurox, no she did not. It is my own freewill," I answered and turned away again to leave.

"Wait!" he exclaimed and grabbed my wrist. That's when the weird started happening…afreakinggain. Spirit enacted based on his touch, probably to rid the Darkness from me (the element was learning I did _not_ like Darkness touching me), but there was more to it than that. My element gave me images of a younger Zoey. It was just images of my cousin in a variety of stages of her young life, first days of school, the ridiculous haircut, her first horse ride, etc. But then, the shocker of them all was an image of me and Zoey running around at the edge of the woods outside of Zo's house before John came in and made them move.

I remembered that day and I remembered that day well, it was a really fun day. I was staying with Aunt Linda and my cousins because we (the cousins) hadn't seen each other for a while and both my parents and Aunt Linda agreed it'd be nice if me and Daniel and Zoey, Hanna, and Kevin got to see each other. So Danny and I stayed the weekend with them. This particular image was after Hanna agreed to take my brother down to one of her friend's house to play basketball. Zoey suggested we got outside and play after a little bit, which we did down by the woods. There were only three people there that day, me and Zoey…and then later on, Heath.

"What?" I asked a bit harshly and tore my hand out of his grasp. I needed to get out of there, I couldn't breathe…those images were oppressing and startling and…dear Goddess get me out and away from him!

Aurox didn't seem to notice any of this, so either I was physically faring better than I was mentally…or he really was that oblivious. "What is freewill?" he asked. That was the absolute last question I expected him to ask.

At least it caught me off guard enough to knock some sense back into me and steer me away from freaking. "It's exactly what it sounds like," I responded, "the ability to choose for yourself. Nyx grants all of her children that gift. How could you not know what freewill is?"

"I…I don't know," he answered and looked down, "I don't believe I have experienced freewill."

"That's impossible if you are a child or gift from Nyx as Neferet claims," I said. Then again…I was trusting that Neferet was speaking the truth about him, and we all know that probably didn't happen.

"Does that mean I am not actually a child of Nyx?"

I sighed and looked down, "I'm not really sure what that means, to tell you the truth. Anything is possible now, enough to the point that _I'm_ possible," I stated again and looked up. Looking at Aurox now, he didn't seem like some evil, creature of Darkness. He seemed like a confused, lost boy looking for a purpose and answers. The Darkness was still there…but less prevalent.

"If I am not a child of Nyx, then what am I?" he asked and looked at me, hopeful.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that is something you're meant to figure out," I said, reminding myself of the images. "I really need to be…" I trailed off, realizing I never actually _did_ get the information on Kalona I needed.

I turned on my heel and went back over to the desk, looking through the papers on there. I knew I saw something…aha! I picked up the paper and looked through it. It was all notes on Kalona, and the last one gave me what I needed. Neferet met with Kalona, and it went well…they were more than likely teaming up again. I set it back down and turned to the door. "I have to go now," I said, remembering Aurox was still there and watching me.

Aurox was going to say something but stopped when there was a click at the door. Something like a key unlocking it. Ah shit, Neferet's back! He looked back and I started rushing towards the opposite door. I paused for a second, "Aurox, I wasn't here," I hissed at him.

He nodded once, "go, JC," he ordered and I did, jumping out the door and shifting into a bird in one motion. I flapped and rested on the balcony railing to not make it seem too obvious or suspicious and I waited.

"Aurox!" Neferet's voice rang out through the rooms and the boy looked at her, "did anything bad happen during my absence?"

I held my breath, praying to Nyx he said nothing. Without missing a beat, he shook his head, "nothing bad happened, no."

"Very well…" she nodded and trailed off, looking directly at me. Crazy Bitch let out a suffering sigh and walked over to the door and me, "I am glad to know that the ravens are appearing again, but really, they must stop coming to my house. Leave! Leave you filthy bird!" Neferet shouted at me, flailing her arms and aiming Darkness at me. Ugh, there was _way_ too much of that stuff around me.

I let out a crow and did as she said, flying back to the girls' dorms. That was close…way, way, _WAY_ too close for comfort. It almost became Gwen's suicide mission…_almost_. I got lucky, I got shitloads of luck with that actually, between Neferet not figuring it out and Aurox not attacking me and then actually _covering_ for me. I should be caught and quite possibly dead right now, if it weren't for Aurox.

And then…there was Aurox. I let out a sigh as I slipped back through the window I left open to my room and shifted back. There was just another puzzle to solve with him. Oh goody! That image, well, all of them but specifically that one image with me and Zo, that was major. And then something else came into my mind. "He said my name," I said aloud in thought. I never told him my name, he never heard my name, not JC anyway…and yet he called me JC.

"Ugh, no, you know what…one problem at a time, sweetheart, one problem at a time," I told myself and shook my head. "This Aurox/Heath memory/name thing, you can think about it later, after you figured out what to do with Stark and Kalona, Anastasia, and figure some things out about yourself," I argued with myself, or more my inner thoughts really. "One thing's for certain though, do _not_ tell Z," I added and my inner thoughts agreed. If Zoey even had the slightest idea that there may be more to Aurox (and something Heath involved no less) than she originally thought…it'd probably be bad, especially since she seemed to _just_ be getting over Heath.

I sighed and rubbed my face a bit before looking around my room, determining what to do. "Read," I determined finally, "get into something comfortable and read up on the ghost section and either more in depth on Charges or the troubles that can occur. You need to calm and cleanse yourself after all the Darkness and shit…and what better way to do so than read up on your other problems?"

Deciding that was best, I set out to do so, grabbing a pair of flannel pants and a baggy T-shirt to sleep in. I tossed my iPod on too just because I could and I hoped it would help clear my mind. With a breath, I walked into the bathroom and started changing, pausing for a second to look at the leg I ran into the desk. The spot was a pretty mixture of colors, blue, black, purple, a little bit of yellow, and a little bit of red. I bruise badly.

I couldn't help but smirk as the opening notes of 'Where is the Edge' by Within Temptation started playing as I was pulling up my pants (that sounds way more weird than it actually is). If that song was not the most ironically fitting thing then I didn't know what was.

"_In the shadow awakes the desire that you know that you can't realize. And the pressure will just keep on rising, now the heat is on. It's too late there is no way around it, you have seen it yourself many times. In the end you will give up the fighting, unescapable,_" Sharon sang through my speakers.

In the process of changing my clothes, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Something seemed off…a bit distorted even. "_'Cause you're losing your mind and your sleep in the heart of the lies!"_ I sang quietly with the song and walked over to the sink, looking at my reflection. That line was definitely true, I looked haggard and worn from only a couple of days. And the reason my reflection was distorted? I realized with a start it was because of Darkness…I was looking at the other part of me. The one I had met in a dream, the one that was Dark, and the one that was as much a part of me as Kalona was a part of Stark…the only difference was that my parts were all _only me_.

"_Where is the edge of your darkest emotions? Why does it all survive? Where is the light of your deepest devotion? I pray that it's still alive,"_ I asked the question and put my hand up to the mirror. My reflection did the same, and with a sick feeling, I realized something else. The same, we were two parts of the same person. The Dark me told me in that dream that she was getting stronger and that I'd never be rid of her…and no matter how hard I tried to deny it, her image as my reflection proved it.

I let out a shaky breath and my hand slid down the mirror. Not only because I came to this realization, but because I felt it again. I felt the chill I always felt when a buttload of Darkness was around me. I glanced back up to the mirror and noticed her standing behind me. How the hell did Neferet get in here? I didn't hear any doors open…I didn't hear any footsteps…nothing! There was _no logical way_ she could have gotten in here.

"_It's the rule that you live by and die for, it's the one thing you can't deny. Even though you don't know what the price is, it is justified. So much more that you've got left to fight for, but it still doesn't change who you are. There is no fear you'll ever give in to, you're untouchable. 'Cause you're losing your mind and your sleep in the heart of the lies!"_ I kept my focus on my reflection, noticing the Darkness around it intensified as I saw Neferet, out of the corner of my eye, start approaching me.

"_Where is the edge of your darkest emotions? Why does it all survive? Where is the light of your deepest devotion? I pray that it's still alive. You can't stop yourself, don't want to feel, don't want to see what you've become. You can't walk away from who you are, never give in,"_ I ground my teeth together and shook my head once. No, no I wouldn't give in, that was for damn sure. With that decision made, the reflection of Dark me disappeared and I saw myself, my _real_ self and my eyes flash to purple. _Spirit, please be with me._

My hands gripped the sink as Neferet was close enough behind me. She reached out a hand to touch me on my shoulder, that wicked grin still on her face and Darkness still surrounding every inch of her body. That's when I lost it. My hand, clenched into a fist, shot out and connected with the mirror, the glass shattering. I ignored the pain shooting through my entire hand and that the skin on my fingers and knuckles was torn off and I was bleeding. It is important to note that shattering a mirror is not the best thing for your hand…or blood loss.

It caught Neferet off guard enough that I managed to grab a big, sharp piece of glass and whirl around to face her. Ignoring the fact that it started cutting into my palm, I grasped the glass tightly and raised it like I was ready to thrust it into her body somewhere. Well, not like really since I _was_ ready to shove the piece of glass…preferably through her heart. I wondered for a fleeting second if that would work to kill her, even though it wasn't a wooden stake. "You need to leave. Right now," I snarled out, glaring at her.

She said nothing, only smirked evilly and disappeared into thin air. Wait…what? How the hell does that work? It was like…ah fuck. An apparition, I remembered Zo writing about it once. Neferet could use Darkness to appear everywhere to spy and watch people. That's what that was, my reflection and Neferet both…it was her working her Darkness on me, and it was sickening to say that it almost worked.

"_Where is the edge of your darkest emotions? Why does it all survive?"_

I threw the bloodied piece of glass on the ground with some of the other shards. I looked at my hand, my blood pooling in my palm and running down to my wrist. It was…relieving to see it running free and clean, no Darkness in it, no Darkness coming to feed off of it, nothing. It was just blood, my blood, my _good_ blood.

I snapped out of it after a moment and sighed, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my injured hand. Well, it looked like I'd need to go see the nurses at the infirmary. Reading would have to wait since I didn't want to bleed all over the book. I walked out of the bathroom and carefully opened the door to the hallway, shutting it behind me. I didn't even think to turn the lights or my iPod off.

"_Where is the light of your deepest devotion? I pray that it's still alive."_

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><p><strong><span>Zoey's POV<span>**

"Z, Zo, ZOEY!" I jumpstarted as Stevie Rae was shouting and shaking me in an attempt to wake me up.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked frantically and looked around. Stark was still asleep, and looking at Stevie Rae, she looked tired, but not afraid or anything. That was calming at least.

"Nothin's wrong…it's just, Kramisha wrote another poem and me and Damien agree that you should probably take a look," my BFF explained.

"Another prophetic poem?" I asked and rubbed at my eye, "Damien's looking over it?"

"Right now, yup," she nodded.

I sighed, "alright, let's go look at it. Hey, uh, what time is it?" I asked, getting up.

"'Bout an hour before we have to leave…so 'round 7," she answered, "are you gonna wake Stark up?"

I looked back to my Guardian, still sprawled out in bed. He looked like he was in peace and sleeping pretty well. "No, I'll wake him up before we leave. If JC did anything, this is the first time he's had some good sleep in weeks. He needs it," I explained and followed her out to the kitchen.

"Hey, any luck?" Stevie Rae asked and sat down next to Damien at the table.

"It's an odd poem and rather hard to decipher, especially because I don't believe we have all of the information required yet," he answered and looked up at both of us.

"Can I see it?" I asked. He just pushed the purple piece of paper over to me.

_All times collide with force_

_ A world reborn with all sides_

_ Light and Darkness, an endless dance_

_ With Spirit of Night the conductor_

_ Two parts of one whole_

_ Only one can survive_

_ A Dragon's roar wins it all_

_ And Spirit is truly revived_

I reread it twice and then looked up to Kramisha, who was busying herself with getting food. "Any idea what it means?" I asked to her.

"Nope, I'm the writer, I ain't no damn interpreter," Kramisha answered.

I sighed and looked to Damien. He was always good with poetry and figuring out what her poems meant. "What about you?" I asked.

He grabbed the paper again and read over it once more before nodding. "The second and third lines have to refer to the battle we are currently in with Neferet and Darkness, that's pretty easy to gather. The way the term 'spirit' is capitalized leads me to believe that it is referring to the Spirit fledglings and their High Priestess, but I don't know about everything else," Damien explained.

I mumbled the poem out once more. "Dragon is capitalized…so does that mean Dragon Lankford?" I asked.

"That's what I was thinkin'," Stevie Rae agreed, "but that's clearly related to the whole Spirit becoming revived thing. If we go off of Damien's theory, how is Dragon related to 'em that way?"

"Don't know," I admitted, "ok…what about everything else? Times colliding, Spirit of Night, two parts of one whole?" I asked.

Damien and Stevie Rae both shook their heads, unsure of what to make of it too. "I really hate poetry," I muttered and closed my eyes.

"Ok, why don't we all get something good to eat and wait for everyone else? My Mama always said that it ain't good to think on an empty stomach, and that two heads are better than one…so imagine what twenty could do," Stevie Rae suggested.

"That sounds like a wonderful suggestion," Damien agreed and that's what the three of us did.

Everyone else slowly started getting up and going through the same routine as us. We all got ready and by the time 7:45 hit, we were all in the Hummer (all of our luggage in the back because we were going to the airport directly after) with Darius driving to the House of Night. That's when the poem came up again.

"Alright everyone, now that we're all together, we got something important to talk about," Stevie Rae announced from the back seat, "Kramisha wrote another prophetic poem and we need ya'lls help to figure it out, hopefully."

Kramisha took out the poem and read it again, this time to everyone. "A lot of that poem is about us, isn't it?" Aphrodite asked after Kramisha was done, "and the second and third line is about the fight we're having with Neferet. Goddess, I hate poetry and figurative language and I could figure that much out."

"Yeah, well we got that much too," Stevie Rae retorted, "but what about everything else?"

"Does Dragon refer to our professor?" Stark suggested. Geeze, we all really _did_ have the same ideas.

"We thought that initially," Damien explained, "but, as far as we know, he has no connection with the Spirit vampyres to bring about their revival. Are there any other suggestions?" He was answered with silence.

I sighed, "alright, what about anything else?" Still silence. "So we have another prophetic poem that we don't know what it's about. Awesome," I muttered and looked out the window.

"Hey, we've always figured out these damn poems before," Shaunee pointed out.

"Yeah, we'll get it Z, don't worry about it," Erin agreed, "we always get this stuff covered eventually."

I nodded to show I heard. They were right, we always did get it covered and fixed and all that, but my nerves were still a little frayed with the transfer tonight and the rituals and all that. Goddess only knew what Neferet had up her sleeve, because she couldn't be happy about this.

Sensing this, Stark leaned over and kissed me gently, "we'll get through this, just as we do everything else. I promise."

"I know," I agreed reluctantly and wanted to change the subject, "so how did you sleep last night?"

"Pretty good actually," he answered after a moment, "no weird dreams or anything like that. It was nice, JC must have done something."

"Yeah, I'll have to thank her for that," I said and saw the House of Night coming up.

"I will too," he agreed as Darius pulled into the parking lot and shut the car off. Everyone got out, leaving all their luggage in the van.

"Ok, in case we don't see each other today, after the Full Moon Ritual, come directly back to the Hummer and we're leaving for the airport. Please, just don't make us wait too long to go," I announced to everyone, and with that we left to our classes.

Stark, Damien, and I entered first hour and I instantly saw my cousin looking like she was passed out on a desk in the back. We all went and sat around her, my Guardian was the first to speak. "You look like shit," Stark told her guiltily.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus," JC answered and opened her eyes to look at us before focusing on Stark, "but don't feel bad, I didn't sleep _at all_ last night, so I didn't do anything with you. Sorry about that, it's just, other things kind of took precedent," she explained and sat up. That's when I noticed her hand.

"What happened?"

She sighed, "do you want what I'm telling everyone else, or the truth?"

I gave her a look, "both would be preferable."

"Ok, well I'm telling everyone I slipped after getting out of the shower and rammed my hand into the mirror, breaking it," my cousin started, "the truth is Professor Evil up there decided to use her Darkness apparition power on me and I freaked, punching the mirror to get a sharp shard of glass to protect myself. At the time, I didn't realize it was an apparition."

"That's horrible," Damien gasped.

"Yeah, hence the reason I didn't sleep. All I could picture was that apparition coming back while I slept, not a comforting thought," JC snorted, "so I read some, packed, all that stuff. I'm ready for tonight if that's worth anything. Oh, and I got information on Kalona, he and Neferet are definitely still in league together, plus some other info I'll give you later."

"Will you tell me now how you got it?" I asked.

"I'll tell you all when I give you the other info," she answered, "it's not in a 'legal' manner and Neferet doesn't need to know about it," she grumbled.

"Dear Goddess, what did you do?" I groaned, JC only grinned and then class started, so I couldn't pester her about it anymore.

Neferet continued on with the lesson from yesterday that I wasn't there for; it was about some Warrior who was in a fight with Darkness and lost his Priestess. I noticed my cousin continually gave glances to Damien, and I couldn't help but to feel a little lost because something must have happened yesterday.

When the bell rang, Neferet told us (the four of us) to stay after…not that I was surprised all that much. After everyone else was gone, JC spoke up, "what do you want?"

The ex-High Priestess grinned at all of us, "I have been informed that you all are being transferred tonight as per Sgiach and the High Council's request."

"Yeah, that's true…and there really isn't much you can do about it," I agreed warily.

"Dear Zoey, why would you think that I would try to stop you?" Neferet asked and smiled wickedly at me. Stark stepped up beside me protectively and she gave a small chuckle, "I'm only holding you after to give you a fair warning. You can run, but you sure as hell can't hide from me, even under the protection at the Isle of Skye. I'm too far in my plans to let a couple of teenagers to get even stronger and get in my way…and I hope that it is known by now that I can make things happen without _actually_ being there, I'm just advising you to be wary," she said, smirking at Damien.

JC stepped beside him and gently grabbed his hand. "Are you suggesting that some deaths have been caused by you?" Damien asked strongly and I couldn't have been more proud. I was trying very hard to shake, because even though I knew it, Neferet coming out and _saying_ it made it all the more real. She was willing to kill us, all of us, in any way possible…and she could do it in nearly any way possible.

"I think you know the answer to that as well as I do," she responded, "JC, what happened to your hand?" she asked in surprise, like she'd just seen it.

My cousin let out a low growl and leveled her a look. Ok, I know we're talking about Neferet and how she is unfazed by anything, but in knowing JC was tired as hell, in pain, and extremely pissed off, that glare was threatening and frightening. But like I said, Neferet was unfazed. "You know damn well what happened."

Neferet smirk widened, "as I said, I can get things to happen without actually being there. And you are questioning now, aren't you young Priestess?" she asked, sneering at the title.

I didn't know what she meant, but JC paled and looked away. Apparently she understood. Jen let out a breath and turned back to Neferet, "I know who I am. Thank you for the warning Neferet, and let me just respond by saying that we will be ready. If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you will damn well get," she responded and ushered us out of the classroom, leaving Neferet behind.

By now, I was shaking. Neferet's words and willingness to let us know what she was going to do, it was a horrible step to see because she was manic with Darkness, and that _was not_ good. Stark seemed to notice this as he draped an arm over my shoulder, and we all looked a little shaken.

"_I must become the lion hearted girl, ready for a fight, before I make the final sacrifice_," JC sang quietly behind us, and when I turned around, she was looking directly at me. She knew what I was feeling, I could tell by the look on her face.

But I also got what she was saying, and so, by the looks of it, did Stark and Damien. Without a word about it, she sighed, "I'll see you in Lit. Have fun in second hour," she said and we parted just like that.

Drama was interesting, if only because my thoughts were still swirling around my mind and because of Erik. The first half of class he talked about Shakespearian monologues and then gave an assignment. Then he come over to Stark and me and started talking.

"So, word is that you all are leaving for Skye tonight," he commented.

"After the rituals, yeah," I answered even though I didn't really need to…he didn't ask a question.

"Huh. I never thought you would run away from this, not that I can blame you. I'm actually kind of happy for you all, just didn't think it would happen," Erik said it like it was nothing.

"We aren't running away!" I exclaimed quickly, "we're going to Skye to keep us alive in this fight, because right now we don't know nearly enough to fight with any chance."

He shrugged, "say what you will about it, but you're leaving Tulsa and the fight to go elsewhere, that seems a lot like running away to me." And he walked away when another student raised her hand to ask something…and probably to flirt because that's how it goes now.

"We aren't running away," I said again after him and glanced at Stark, "right?"

Stark sighed, "people are probably going to see it that way. But you and I and everyone else leaving know what we're doing and why. That's all that counts," he assured me.

"Yeah, I guess," I agreed. Did people really see it like that? Did they think we were running away, that we were leaving them behind to fend for themselves? That wasn't what was happening and I didn't want anyone thinking that! But really, what could I do? We were leaving…we _had_ to, so what other people thought couldn't be changed now with the short amount of time we had.

The bell rang and Stark and I went off to Lit 101. We got a new book to read, _Fahrenheit 451_, so all we did in that was intro stuff to the book. We talked about the basics, Ray Bradbury and his bio, what was going on at the time it was written, and some of the major plots and themes of the novel. That was all we did in that class and then we were off to Fencing with Dragon.

I paired up with Damien as usual and we went through our normal routines and bouts. I was happy at the fact that I had been improving through the course of time and the class, which was nice because I wasn't on my butt nearly as much anymore. Damien seemed happy too since he finally had a good partner to spar with that would actually give him a little bit of a challenge. Not much, but a little bit.

When that class ended, I turned to look at Luke and my cousin and couldn't help but to laugh when I saw JC on her back. She let out a stupid grin and accepted Luke's help up, again, and brushed herself off.

"Are you getting any better?" I asked teasingly as we walked over to them.

"Nope. As I said, I'm a hand to hand combat person, not swords," she joked and rolled out her neck, "you guys can go ahead. I want to talk to Dragon about something with this class, and maybe how to improve in here too," she said suddenly, seeing our professor walking off.

"Ok," Luke said questioningly, "do you want us to wait for you for lunch?"

"Nah," JC shook her head, "go ahead, I'll catch up with you guys there," she answered and followed after Dragon.

I couldn't help but to wonder what that was about when we went back to the locker rooms to get changed.

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

After I went down to the infirmary last night to get my hand wrapped and convinced Helena to believe me with what happened, I went back to my room and read up on one of my biggest issues, Anastasia. And what I mean by that is I read about the ghost thing I saw earlier.

And I learned a good bit about it and how I can help out and help her free her heart. After reading about it, I felt I had a pretty good idea on how to do so, it just involved Dragon and a lot of magick. Both were possible, hence why I followed Dragon back to his office.

I knocked on his open door and poked my head in. "Um, Dragon, can I have a word or two?" I asked politely.

He looked up from whatever paper was on his desk and just stared at me a moment, like he didn't recognize who I was. That look cleared and he nodded, "yeah, come in JC."

I did as he said and closed the door behind me. He motioned for me to sit but I shook my head, "I'm actually here for a reason. I know I haven't been here for very long and that I don't know you very well. But I also know that you aren't acting anything like you normally would…and I know that it was Anastasia's death that broke you," I just came right out and said it. It was uncomfortable and awkward, but it had to be said, it was really the only way to start. And I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, the woman in question appeared in the corner of the room.

Dragon said nothing in response, but sat rigid in his chair and stared at me coldly. Alright, fair, I could understand why he did that. "What are you doing?" Anastasia asked quietly in confusion, but I didn't answer her.

"And I can understand the pain you are going through, but…"

"How could you possibly know the pain I'm going through?" he demanded, cutting me off.

Well that outburst startled me a bit. "Because I've lost loved ones too, so I know what that's like," I answered, caught off guard.

Dragon snorted and rolled his eyes, "breaking up with some high school boy relates nothing to what I'm going through. I don't have time for this," he said and got up, looking to leave.

"How about losing my mother and brother?" I asked. If anything, it got him to stop before leaving. "Sure, it isn't exactly like losing the love of my life, but for a seven year old, it's a hell of a lot and it leaves some nasty scars," I stated simply, "so trust me, I think I can relate. So can Zoey for that matter…"

"She didn't love that boy for nearly as long as I did Anastasia," Dragon responded, but said nothing about me.

"Yeah, and in a way I think that's worse," I said and looked at him, "you had that time to love Anastasia that Zoey and Heath didn't. You saw her develop and become the great woman she was destined to be. Zoey doesn't get to watch Heath grow like that, and their love was cut way shorter than yours. I think that's harder and worse on a person than getting that extra century to love them," I explained and crossed my arms.

He sighed and finally turned around, away from the door, to look at me. "What do you want?" he asked.

I looked behind my shoulder once to Anastasia before looking back to him. "I want to help you, both of you. Just hear me out," I begged and held out my good hand, "Spirit, come to me please."

I closed my eyes and let the element was over me, trusting that Dragon wouldn't leave. I didn't hear any footsteps, so that was a good sign. I let out a breath and forced the traditional phrase to the front of my mind. It was in the book, so it should work, I had faith in Indiana Jones. "Spirit, there is a presence in this room that you have granted me the ability to know about, but no one else. It has become apparent that she is bound to this world by a task she wants to complete and I wish to help her. Spirit, allow this ghost to become apparent to the one she desires," I called and…oh damn! My legs buckled under me as the power required was taken out of me. Granted, I probably shouldn't have been doing this under my conditions of sleep deprivation, lack of food, and lack of knowledge or experience with this, it was still a hell of a lot of power.

"JC are you…my Goddess. Anastasia?" Dragon asked, completely forgetting what just happened to me. Honestly, that was probably better. The faster this happened, the faster I could get some power back.

"Dragon," I could hear the smile in Anastasia's voice, "it is so good to know that you can see me, I've missed it greatly," she said and approached him. And oh, there goes my vision. Lovely, I had no freaking clue it would be this bad. I mean, the book said it took a lot of power, but seriously? I leaned back against the desk and focused on breathing…making sure I stayed alive that way was a good idea.

"Anastasia?" he asked again, "but…how is this possible? You died, you were killed, how are you back to me?"

"Your student," she answered, "I have been here as a ghost since my death, but no one could see me until the return of the Spirit vampyres. Nyx allowed me to stay here in order to watch over you until I freed my heart. I did not know what that meant for some time, but now I do. I am here to free my heart and free yours as well. I don't have much time," Anastasia explained, "but I can do so."

"I've missed you so much, Anastasia," Dragon whispered and…was he crying? I wouldn't know, I couldn't actually _see_ it, but it sounded like he was.

"I know Dragon," Anastasia responded, "and you've been harboring much hatred and sadness since that day, and it's painful to see. You have lost who you are, Dragon, you aren't the man I fell in love with. You've lost your way and lost sight of who the enemy is."

He sighed sadly, "Rephaim killed you Anastasia, I can't forgive something like that. I was supposed to protect you, and I failed at that and that beast killed you." That last sentence spoke volumes, even I knew that in my half-conscious state. This was bad.

"He might have killed me, but that was at a different time in his life. He has saved Stevie Rae multiple times and he has become a different person, choosing to follow Nyx. I have forgiven him, as has our Goddess, and so should you. As well, you should forgive yourself," Anastasia explained, "if not for yourself and Light's cause, than for me."

There was silence for some time, then finally, the fencing instructor spoke. "You know I would do anything for you," Dragon said, "and if that's what you want, then I will do it."

I could just imagine Anastasia smiling. "I love you Dragon, always remember that. And remember who your true enemies are, it is not Zoey and her group," she said…and after another few moments, I felt her presence by me. "I cannot express my gratitude to you, Jennifer. You freed my heart by allowing me to free Dragon's at the risk of your own health, I can't thank you enough for that."

I opened my mouth to speak, but had to close it and swallow to keep the puke from coming out. "I'm just following my path for Light, nothing more and nothing less," I said quietly the second time.

"Thank you, child," Anastasia said and I felt something like when she touched me on my forehead. Except, this time it felt more solid…and I was pretty sure she kissed me. Then the presence was gone and slowly, I was feeling a little bit better, enough to the point I was getting my vision back and saw Dragon kneeling beside me.

"Are you alright?" he asked and put a hand on my shoulder.

I opened my mouth again to answer, but couldn't hold it back this time and turned my head to empty my stomach contents on the floor. After I was done, I wiped at my mouth and closed my eyes. If I wasn't already flushed and sweaty, I would be beat red with embarrassment. "Sorry," I muttered weakly.

"That took a lot of power for you, it's alright," Dragon responded, "I need to get you to the infirmary."

"Dragon, I can't stand," I told him weakly. I knew I couldn't, I'd wind up on my ass again in an instant.

Instead of saying anything, I felt arms around my back and under my curled up legs, and then I was off the ground. I guess I looked really bad (who am I kidding, I _was _bad) if I needed that infirmary bad enough to get Dragon to carry me there himself. My first true run in with power overload, and Goddess was it ever not fun.


	29. Tuesday: Part 2

_A/N: This hasn't really been a good day. The only good thing was the Giants winning the Super Bowl. But, here I am on a Sunday!_

_Well, this is it, the last chapter of the story! I seriously just have to thank everyone who stuck through this with me and I really hope you all join me in part two, Chaos of the Past. More fun adventures with JC and the Nerd Herd along with some new people at the Isle of Skye. __Which just reminds me that my SYOC is still open and I still need a few people to fill in some spots. That'll be closing relatively soon because it has to. So I need those submits!_

_Now, without further ado, the last chapter of Spirit Revived! Please read, review, and enjoy...and seriously, thanks again to all of you for sticking through this!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own House of Night, but I own the full, completed version of Spirit Revived, the plotline, and any character you don't recognize (that's so awesome to say!) The ritual song is called 'The Swan Song' by Within Temptation. Don't own that either, but it's really pretty, check it out._

* * *

><p><strong><span>JC's POV<span>**

I was actually quite thankful it was lunch hour, because we had to have been a strange sight. Dragon was literally carrying me bridal style through the school grounds, and I was half dead. I tried about half way to get him to let me walk myself…but that didn't go over too well with the Swords Master. Apparently when I'm still pale as hell and shaking (something I didn't notice until Dragon pointed it out), standing and walking isn't a good idea to try. I could accept the logic in that.

When we got to the infirmary, I finally convinced him to put me down. After stumbling and nearly winding up on my ass again (something I _should_ have expected), I resigned to leaning against him and waiting for Helena to come up front and see us. She'd be so happy to see me again! Okay, that was a lie…and I did actually feel bad for what I had probably put that woman through the past couple of days.

"Oh, Dragon, JC!" the nurse exclaimed the moment she saw us and quickly took me from Dragon, carefully ushering me to one of the rooms. The Swords Master did follow behind us, which kind of surprised me. "What happened?" Helena asked.

I looked up to her and gave a weak, sheepish grin. "I may have over-extended my affinity and may have made myself suffer from some, horrible type of exhaustion," I answered. I trusted Helena, I had since I was first here and she stood up for me and Zoey against Neferet. I had no issue giving her the basic idea of what happened to me.

The nurse let out a grunt and rolled her eyes. "I swear, you are the most reckless fledgling I have ever met, and I've only known you for a few days," Helena grumbled as she helped me up onto the table. I didn't say anything as she started looking me over (eyes, mouth, heart rate, all that good stuff), I just kept that small, stupid grin on my face.

"You shouldn't be happy about this," she said once she was done with that and looking at my hand, "especially if you want to get to Skye tonight on a plane, you need to be in better health. I'm going to change your bandages and get you something to hopefully revive your energy. Don't get hurt while I'm gone," she warned and disappeared out of the room.

The sad part was that, if Dragon wasn't in the room, I probably would have hurt myself. But, the professor in question was, oddly enough, still in the room with me, sitting in one of the chairs. I sighed and rubbed at my eye before looking over to him, "why don't you go to lunch like everyone else?" I asked.

"I want to make sure you will be alright," he answered simply.

"I'll be fine…I've been through this and things like this more times than I'd care to admit to," I laughed a bit. And that was true, having the grace of a bull in a china shop often wound me up in the hospital or the nurse's office or whatever. Exhaustion, though not to this degree, was a common occurrence as well, "seriously, go, it's fine…I'll be okay. Helena knows how to deal with me and what to do by now."

Dragon sighed and shook his head, "what you did in my office with Anastasia was nothing short of a miracle. The least I owe you is this."

"What happened with Anastasia was me doing the right thing with my Goddess given gift. You owe me nothing."

"JC, you brought my wife back to me," he said quietly.

"And you're still in shock from it," I stated, "and I am seriously just as surprised as you that it worked and I was able to do so, consequences to my body aside. But I didn't bring anyone back, I let you see her as a ghost and now she's gone to rest in the Otherworld. In a way I'd think that was worse," I explained. No, I could not add to my list of affinities necromancy.

"It's better, a thousand times better to know that she is in peace with everything in the Otherworld. That was all I needed I guess, was to know that she was alright with everything," Dragon responded.

I looked over him for a moment. He looked different than when I first met him, and it was a good thing. He was more relaxed, calmer, more at peace…and most importantly, there was no Darkness in sight. "It must be nice to have that love and to know that you can be in peace," I commented.

"More than you can imagine. It's something you can only, truly understand when you have experienced it."

I only nodded in response and turned back to the door as Helena came back in, carrying a few things. She set one of them, a bag of blood, beside me then went to get the rest of her supplies presumably to rewrap my hand.

I looked at the blood bag and poked at it just to make sure that I wasn't seeing things. Nope, it was there. "Um…?"

"It's a bag of blood," Helena answered my unasked question, coming back over and cutting the wrappings from my hand.

"Well thank you," I muttered and rolled my eyes, "I was more leaning to the question as to _why_?"

"It'll help immensely with the exhaustion issue," she responded.

"Like an infusion?" I asked. I really wasn't _that_ bad was I? "I hope it's A- then…"

"You're going to drink it," Helena stated and looked at me like I was crazy.

In hindsight…that made a lot more sense, I was a vampyre after all. But still, that was kinda weird. "I haven't experienced bloodlust yet," I told her.

"I would have figured that you have," Helena admitted, "still, it will help." And she went back to rewrapping my hand.

Alright then. I took the packet and tore off a corner at the top. The liquid swished a little bit and I bit my lip, this was rather gross admittedly…but if it would help me then I guess I had to. "Cheers," I muttered and downed the bag. It didn't taste bad per se, but it wasn't the best thing ever. It was kind of like drinking water, a thick, warm, red colored water that also had magical abilities because I almost instantly felt better.

"Whoa," I muttered and shook my head, "that stuff is strong and fast acting. Damn," I chuckled and boy did I ever feel better. This warmth spread through me and I felt the lost energy come back to me.

"See," Helena smirked a bit and set my hand down, newly wrapped in clean, white bandages, "the taste and all of that should get better as you get older. But it works for exhaustion and for healing quite well. You're going to be starting fifth hour soon, are you gonna be alright to go back to class?" she asked.

I would have answered yes either way, and I think both the nurse and Dragon knew that, but I was genuinely feeling better. I nodded and hopped off the little cot, "I feel great, I should be alright. I'm not even hungry," I answered. I really, _really_ liked the ability to heal from blood.

"Good. Just, I beg of you, please be careful and don't hurt yourself anymore…you've got half a day left before you're off to Skye…I'd like to see you off in mostly one piece," Helena told me as Dragon and I went to the door.

I looked back at her and smiled, "I'll try, but no promises. Thanks again Helena," I called as we left.

"Helena is right, you know," Dragon said once we were outside and going back to classes. The gym was relatively close to where I was going, so it worked. "You should be more careful of what you do around here."

I let out a suffering sigh and nodded. "I know I should, but being launched into all of this isn't exactly the best situation. I have to learn fast about what and who I am if I want to survive, and if that means pushing myself to the very limits at times, then so be it. It will be worth it so long as I get to see all of us to the other side of this war, the side with Light prevailing," I responded truthfully. That idea and that conviction had only be growing more and more in me as the days went on of me being around Neferet and the House of Night.

We had come to our separating point and Dragon looked at me with a smile. "You're a lot like her, you know. Anastasia believed in the same thing, I just don't want to see you come to the same ending…" he trailed off.

I smiled a bit, "Dragon, if there's one thing I'll promise you, it's that this battle will _not_ kill me," I said. I just wished that I could be sure of that statement.

He nodded once, "very well. I'll see you tonight for the ceremonies then, Priestess," Dragon nodded and walked off. I couldn't help but to blush the slightest bit, the Swords Master had acknowledged me as a High Priestess. I had earned his respect, and that was a good thing, a _really_ good thing.

I walked into Spanish, once again the first one there, and took the seat in the back that was slowly becoming mine. I let out a sigh and looked at my wrapped up hand a moment before setting it on the table and looking around. My mind started to wander about what happened in the past few days, keeping me occupied until other students started filing in.

"JC! There you are!" Zo exclaimed as she and Stark came in and sat by me, "where were you? You never showed up for lunch."

"Yeah, I was in the nurse's office. I kinda exhausted myself by overusing my powers helping Dragon and Anastasia," I explained quietly.

"Dragon and Anastasia? What did you do?" my cousin pressed.

I looked up and around at the others in the room and felt my stomach drop. I got the hint. "Not here, not now. I'll explain later with everything else, I promise," I answered and sunk back into my seat as Professor Garmey started teaching.

Nope, still hardly understood Spanish, but at least this class seemed to go faster than the past couple. We were out and on our way to Equestrian Studies pretty quickly, and I was kind of thankful for that. Me and foreign languages just did not get along at all.

Lenobia started class normally and then disappeared into Athena's stall. Confused, I followed after her and was surprised to see her, Indy, and Aphrodite and Rephaim. "Um, interesting place to have a meeting?" I asked, walking in and shutting the stall door.

"Oh good, you are alive. It's not like I didn't think you would be, but Z was freaking during lunch for no reason," Aphrodite announced, but I still noticed she was looking over me subtly.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I just had to go to see Helena, I had an issue with exhaustion during Fencing," I explained, trying to pass it off as nothing.

"Exhaustion from what?" Daniel asked.

I glanced at him sheepishly, "I may have read chapter 14 in your book and…took care of a problem we were having here."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at me, "you were able to do that so soon?"

"Well…according to my body, no, I'm not supposed to be doing that right now. At least, that's what I'm assuming the exhaustion was in reaction to," I answered and looked around at the others. They all seemed really confused, so I decided to explain, "chapter 14 is in relation to ghosts and their haunting this world and not being in Nyx's Grove. After dying, Anastasia Lankford was here trying to free her heart, which consisted of talking to Dragon and getting him out of the funk he was in. I helped out, and nearly killed myself in the process."

And now everyone but Rephaim was surprised. "She is resting with Nyx in peace now?" he asked and I nodded, "I wish you had told me. I would have liked to express my sorrow for what I did to her."

"She knows, and she has forgiven you. She knew it was from another time in your life," I promised and smiled a bit.

Rephaim returned the smile, "that is reassuring."

"So…wait. Anastasia has been haunting the school sine her death?" Aphrodite asked and I nodded, "that's some fucked up shit right there."

I shrugged, "not really. There's always been reports of ghosts coming back because they have unfinished business. Anastasia's business was Dragon. I also learned not to test my limits for a little while, lest I actually _do_ kill myself. So why are we having a meeting in Athena's stall?" I asked again.

"Daniel wanted to meet with the three of you," Lenobia answered, "just to go over the basics before you're off to Skye."

"Sounds fair," I shrugged and leaned back against the wall, "let's go over the basics."

"Alright," Daniel nodded, "let's start with the very basics. You all know about your affinity for Spirit?" he asked.

"No duh," Aphrodite snorted and rolled her eyes.

I sighed in response to my fledgling (which is still quite weird to think about), "yes, we all know about our affinity for Spirit."

"What about guide animals?" he asked.

Both Rephaim and I turned to Aphrodite and she let out a grumble. "Those two have, I have yet to figure mine out," she admitted.

"But you are the Prophetess I have heard about, are you not?" She nodded as an answer. "Then that's why you don't have a guide animal. Prophets and Prophetesses were almost always Spirit vampyres, but a subspecies if you will. As a Prophetess, you will not get a guide animal because your duties to the Goddess are different. You don't take care of others, meaning you don't take care of Charges, so you don't need a guide animal," Daniel explained.

"Hah, I am normal!" Aphrodite exclaimed with a smug smirk.

"Normal is not the word I was considering," I mumbled under my breath and looked back to Indy, "anything else?"

"With that cleared up, you two know about Charges right?" he asked and looked at me and Rephaim.

We both held up our wrists to show the Marks. "We know how we got them, we've read up on it, and I've already experienced the joy of being sucked into my Charges' bodies…which is not a fun thing to happen," I explained with a shudder. As I said, mentally scarred for life.

"I'm sorry to say, but there isn't much you can do right now. Until you grow into your affinity and with your Charges, that may happen sporadically."

"Joy," I grumbled and crossed my arms, "any more?"

"I think that's all of the basics. The rest you'd be best to learn from Sgiach herself rather than me," Daniel answered, "so long as you know the basics, you will be alright."

I nodded and pushed myself off the wall, "alright then, so is there anything else to talk about for tonight or the trip?" I asked.

"So long as you have gathered everything you need for tonight, then no, there is no reason to discuss anything further," Lenobia decided, "Aphrodite, Rephaim, you may stay if you like. JC, get to work." Yup, I saw that one coming, it still made me chuckle though.

"Yes ma'am," I joked but set to work anyway. It was harder cleaning a stall with an out of commission hand, but I managed to get it done just as the bell rang to dismiss us. I wiped the dirt that had gathered on my hands on my pants and got out of the stall, joining Zoey and everyone else who had stayed.

"We have about 15 minutes until the ceremonies start. It gives us just enough time to get dressed, get your luggage into the car, and get there for the start," Zoey stated as we started walking to where we needed to go, "everyone basically but you is going to the Hummer first to get some more presentable clothes, the girls will meet you in your and Gwen's room and we'll go down together. The guys are doing the same thing pretty much but in the boys' dorm. Dinner is after the ceremonies, we _may_ have time to eat but don't plan on it. So if you're hungry, grab something small from the kitchen in the dorms."

I stared at my cousin for a moment before chuckling, "geeze, planned out much? Sounds good, I'm gonna go warn Gwen about this, see you up there," I agreed and we parted ways.

It wasn't until I got to my room and sat down on my bed did I realize that I probably didn't have anything to wear. Oh well, that problem could be taken care of in a bit, first I had to talk to Gwen. "Hey," I said as I went over to my bed, "everyone is going to be up here in a bit, we need to get ready to go."

"We? Where are we going?" Gwen asked and looked at me in confusion.

"The ceremonies. We need to get dressed and all that stuff," I answered and got up to go through my closet to look for something, with no avail.

"_If you're looking for a dress or something like that, Erik didn't pack any_," Quinn told me from her bed.

"Great," I grumbled and stopped pawing through my clothes.

"As much as I love rituals, I don't think I can go to the Full Moon Ritual tonight if Neferet's leading it. I'll just say I'm not feeling well or something," she said and shot me another confused look.

"What about the Dark Daughters?"

"I'm not one…so I'm technically not supposed to go," Gwen stated with a shrug.

"I don't care about technicalities at this point, you're going," I said and paused a moment, "and do you have anything for me to wear? Because I've got nothing…"

She sighed and got off her bed, going to her closet and looking through it. After a minute, she threw me a knee-length dress with a silver sash around the waist. "Thanks," I smiled and stopped her when she started walking away, "I wasn't kidding when I said that you're going tonight. You do need to get dressed too."

"But, JC, I'm not-"

"I know you're _not_," I cut her off, "but I think you deserve to go, and I guarantee that everyone else does too."

Gwen let out another sigh and looked at me with a smile, "you're going to make me go one way or another aren't you?"

"Yup. And everyone else too, so text Maggie, Zane, Harley, and Luke to let them know they're going too. I'll be out of the bathroom in a couple minutes, thanks for the dress," I ordered and went into the bathroom.

"Yes, Priestess!" she called teasingly after me.

I rolled my eyes and quickly got myself into the dress Gwen borrowed me. I was surprised that it fit me well despite the fact I was a good two inches taller than her. It must have been longer on her. I pulled my hair back into a braid and put on a bit of makeup because of the fact that I had huge bags under my eyes and I was still a bit pale from my incident in the gym. Overall, it took me about five minutes and I was out of the bathroom with Gwen waiting for me.

"Everyone knows and are getting ready," she told me and went into the bathroom.

I nodded in approval and went back to my closet, grabbing a pair of black shoes and getting them on my feet. I heard a knock as I was fighting with the second shoe and shouted that it was open. A moment later the group was flooding in, including Maggie and all of the guys.

"Gwen's getting changed then we're ready to go," I told them and stretched out my legs.

"Actually, I'm done, so we're just ready to go," Gwen announced as she came out of the bathroom.

"Luckily, it doesn't take long for you to look good," Maggie teased and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Alright, we're set to go, so let's do so," I cut in before anyone (Aphrodite) had a chance to comment. And with that we were walking to the giant, broken oak tree (apparently the rituals were outside...I didn't know why).

"So do you have a song for tonight?" Zo asked as I fell in step beside her and Stark.

I nodded, "don't worry about it. I got everything under control, as always," I grinned.

"Are you going to be able to do everything tonight?" she continued.

"You mean the representation? Yeah, I'll be fine, some blood fixed me right up from earlier," I shrugged like it was nothing.

"Can you tell us yet why that happened?" Stark asked.

I glanced up and saw Neferet as we were approaching the tree. "Later," I said again, "away from prying ears."

"Ah, our Dark Daughters and Sons," Neferet exclaimed, almost on cue from what I said, "I know this change is very sudden, but we would like to start tonight with your ritual first. Some of the vampyres representing the elements for our ritual are going to be late," she explained.

I looked at her suspiciously and was about to ask how any vampyre could put whatever it was they were doing above the Goddess, but Zoey kept me from doing so. "Ok, Neferet, that's fine," my cousin said and nodded, "we would like to use your candles for the ritual though."

"But of course," Neferet nodded and went to get them.

"I don't know what she's up to, but stay close and keep your element near you. Let's get into the circle," Z warned and we did as she asked, setting ourselves up in the circle. Neferet went around and gave us the candles we needed, smiling and happy, like a High Priestess would be. Something was up, and that made me nervous as all hell.

"Are you alright?" Damien asked from the east. We were relatively close.

"Just thinking," I answered and looked up. Oh crap, "Z, wait, I have the music too!" I called to her and pulled out my iPod (yes…I stuffed it in my bra. For any girl to say that they have _never_ done that would be a complete and total lie. They're helpful to keep stuff in. It's why we have them in the first place, if you really want to think about it).

"Good, nice remembering," she said and took the iPod, bringing it over to the sound system we had out there and handing it to Luke, who was the closest to it. "Go ahead and play it," I heard her say and the music began.

I allowed the opening notes to wash over me and watched as my cousin started dancing before I began. "_Winter has come for me, can't carry on. The chains to my life are strong, but soon they'll be gone, I'll spread my wings one more time. Is it a dream? All the ones I have loved, calling out my name. The sun warms my face. All the days of my life, I see them passing me by,"_ I sang and watched as my cousin twirled and danced perfectly to the rhythm, the skirt of her red bejeweled black dress swirling with her. It was beautiful, as was she, and I could see why these things were so…magickal and wonderful and what not.

"_In my heart I know, I can let go. In the end I will find, some peace inside, new wings are growing tonight. Is it a dream? All the ones I have loved, calling out my name. The sun warms my face. All the days of my life, I see them passing me by. As I am soaring, I'm one with the wind. I am longing to see you again it's been so long. We will be together again!" _I paused as the music played and watched, transfixed, as Zoey danced to it all. It was like the Goddess was guiding her footsteps, in all likelihood that was what was happening.

"_Is it a dream? All the ones I have loved, calling out my name. The sun warms my face. All the days of my life, I see them passing me by,"_ I finished and smiled at her as she wound up standing in front of me. "Well heya," I whispered and smirked.

"Good job," Z smiled back then turned her attention to everyone else. "Hello Dark Daughters and Sons!" she called, her voice carrying over everyone else, "just as with every full moon, we are here tonight to celebrate our Goddess. However, with everything that has been going on within our school lately, I would also like to be here to say prayers for those who have been lost and to pray for our own safety. At this moment, I would like everyone to take a moment of silence to send your prayers to Nyx and those who have departed to the Otherworld before we start the circle," she told us all.

I was surprised at how silent it got. I mean, I knew some of us were still on the side of Light, but I expected others to scoff and talk through it. But no, everyone was silent for that moment and we continued on.

"Thank you, now," Zoey said and walked over to Damien, matches in hand, "let's begin. Air, you are the one who breathes life into our lungs and blow away the bad, please join us in this circle!" she called and I felt the breeze blow strongly through the circle. It was stronger than before, and proved that his affinity had grown stronger as well.

"Spirit of Air, please come forth with your physical representation to join your Son," I called out when Zo was done. Confusion was heard through the audience watching followed by gasps as the eagle cried and flew in on Damien's shoulder.

I smiled just a bit and we moved on to Shaunee and Fire. "Fire, you are the one who keeps us warm in every situation and burn the evils we may face, please join us in this circle!" And similar to Damien, the heat intensity was increased.

"Spirit of Fire, please come forth with your physical representation to join your Daughter!" And the tiger came forth, curling herself around Shaunee's legs.

"Water, you are our supporter of life and you wash away our impurities, please join us in this circle!"

"Spirit of Water, please come forth with your physical representation to join your Daughter!" The dolphin let out a few clicks in the pool that was created around Erin's feet.

"Earth, you are where each of us come from and the purest form, please join this circle"

"Spirit of Earth, please come forth with your physical representation to join your Daughter!" The deer bounded forward and stopped gracefully next to Stevie Rae. And then, it all went to hell.

"Dear Goddess do not let this abomination continue! These creatures coming forth are not right or in the Goddess's path! This is nothing but sheer Dark magic, do not let the circle be complete!" Neferet screeched suddenly and fell to her knees.

"What the hell is she doing?" I breathed as Zoey stood beside me.

"I don't know, but I don't like this," Zoey muttered and then I felt it. I felt the chill, that indicative chill and I groaned. I noticed one other person had a similar expression, and when I met Rephaim's eyes…I knew what was going on.

"My Goddess, everybody get down!" I screamed the same moment they burst out from the trees and behind the walls. Big, black masses squawked and shrieked, flying over everyone, the Raven Mockers were back.

"What the hell?" someone screamed, I wasn't even sure who, and I looked around as students started running everywhere, away from the beasts. Neferet was still on her knees, looking frightened, but I could see that glint in her eye. She did this, and we both knew it.

"We have to finish the circle!" Zoey told me, snapping me back to the task at hand.

But looking around, looking at the fighting breaking out, it couldn't and wouldn't be me to finish it. I had too much to give on the other side to the fight. "Not with me you're not. Aphrodite!" I shouted, catching her attention from behind Darius who was protecting her, "get your ass in this circle, you're taking my place!"

She bolted for the inside of the circle and stood next to me in a moment. I handed her the candle I was holding and she looked at me. "What are you going to do?"

"Go out there."

"You're nuts!"

I smirked a bit and nodded, "I know. Good luck, just make your way to the Hummer safely, I'll get there as soon as I can. If you wait for five minutes, leave without me, and that's an order." I was out of that circle in a moment, breaking through the magick that would hopefully hold out in protecting and snarling like a mad wolf. Well, because I _was_ a mad wolf.

I leapt at the first one that came near me and tore at anything and everything I could grab on its body, I wanted it down. I felt the boost as Spirit was called and completed the circle and was thankful since I got the squirming Raven Mocker down with a bite to the neck and moved on.

It was complete and total chaos on the grounds, with screams and fighting sounds heard everywhere. I saw Dragon out hacking away at our attackers with two swords, Maggie and Gwen were side by side, fighting and punching like they were one step ahead. And with Gwen's telepathy, they very well could have been. Luke, Zane, and Harley were at three different places handling three different Raven Mockers and doing alright. Then around the circle were Stark, Darius, and Rephaim fending them off as well. Rephaim looked troubled, as these were his brothers, but I'm glad his duties to Stevie Rae won out in that aspect. There were others out there fighting too.

I just continued on like everyone else. Raven Mocker after Raven Mocker after Raven Mocker, that's all it was. I fought tooth and nail as did they, and I was going to be in much pain for a while. Half way through, I switched back over and just started tackling the Raven Mockers. It was winding down, I was getting sick, tired, and annoyed of everything that was going on, and that pissed off mood channeled better into vampyre than into wolf. When things finally settled down, probably a couple minutes later (thankfully it wasn't as long of a fight as it felt) I stood there and checked myself over. I was bleeding from cuts and I was bruised and banged up. There was nothing major, for which I was thankful.

Remembering my order, I took off toward the parking lot and managed to get there just in time. That was stopped, however, when I heard a scream.

"Oh my Goddess, Maggie!" I cried and turned back.

"You aren't going to go back there, are ya?" Stevie Rae asked.

I didn't respond right away. I looked back to notice a few black masses flying around and gulped. The black masses, what Aphrodite saw in her vision. "I have to," I determined.

"We'll wait for you then," Damien decided.

"No!" I cried, "no, they are still here! Do not, I repeat _do not_ wait for me. I'm not going to let you risk your safety to wait for me," I ordered.

"But JC!"

"No buts Zoey!" I shouted, "I'm not going to put you all in danger, they're all still here. I have two Charges and two fledglings in there I'm going to protect with my life because that's what I _do_. You need to get the hell out of here as far away as physically possible, don't you _dare_ wait for me!" I said and before anything else could say, ran off, back on campus.

"Maggie!" I screamed, trying to figure out where she was. I ignored the looks I was getting from some of the fledglings and ignored the Raven Mockers that took interest, all that mattered was Maggie and where she was.

I approached the girls' dorm and it was the exact description of Aphrodite's vision. She was running away from two Raven Mockers going after her. One of them swooped down and hit her low on the leg and back and she fell. That's when I shrieked and ran after them, tackling them the moment I could.

Both the Raven Mockers and I fell to the ground, away from Maggie luckily, and I skidded back to my feet, growling at them. They came after me and I charged back, punching, swinging, and snarling at them as we fought. One clawed at my legs and abdomen while the other went high, going for my chest in head. It was sort of unfair, especially since they got some good blows. Thankfully my adrenaline was up to extreme highs I was sure, so I didn't feel anything that they threw at me, just kept fighting and scratching until finally, they relented and backed off.

I heaved a sigh of relief before crouching down beside the girl. "Maggie, are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm alive, and that's what counts isn't it?" she asked and turned her head to look at me. "That was the vision, wasn't it? I should be dead right now."

I grimaced slightly because she was right and nodded. "But you aren't dead, which is good, really good," I said.

"Yeah, thank you," Maggie said, "I owe you my life, literally."

"Ok, let's talk about that later. You didn't exactly answer my question, are you alright?" I asked again, because I was worried. She went down and she went down hard.

"I heard a crack when the Raven Mocker ran into me…I think my leg's broken," she admitted and, looking at her right leg, I had to agree. It was bent in an awkward position and I think I could some bone sticking out of her skin.

"I would agree to that," I muttered and looked back to her, "we need to get you to the infirmary. Is your left leg good?" I asked, she nodded. "Okay, this may hurt, but I have to get you up and we both have to walk to the infirmary. You can lean on me though, it'll be alright."

"Ok, just get this over with," Maggie said and gently, we got her into a sitting position and then attempted to get her standing. With her finally up, Maggie leaned heavily on my shoulder, and that induced a sharp, fiery, shooting pain down my entire body.

I let out a strangled cry and collapsed to my knees, sending both of us down again. "Oof, JC, what is it?" Maggie asked worriedly, looking over to me.

"My shoulder," I choked out and looked at my left shoulder. Sure enough, there was a huge, gaping wound there, half of my shoulder was missing. Skin flapped down, blood was pooling out, some cloth was embedded in the wound, and I thought I saw muscle. I had to resist the urge to vomit. How had I not noticed this, or felt it or anything? "Damn it! One of those bastards caught me," I growled out through ground teeth. It hurt like a bitch.

"What do…oh, damn!" she exclaimed, seeing the wound too, "I guess we both need to get to the infirmary."

"We'll do this," I promised, "you'll just have to use my other shoulder. Just a switch up, nothing major," I decided and, after being extremely careful again, we managed to get each other up and Maggie was leaning on my other side.

We started hobbling back toward the infirmary. "Shouldn't you be gone with the rest of the group?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, but you're alive, that's more important," I answered and sighed.

"Did they leave?"

"They did," I nodded.

"How are you going to get there then?" she asked.

I paused a moment and looked back. We made a pretty good distance already, and I could see the proof of the fighting that took place. Bodies and blood were on the ground, and it wasn't a pretty sight. This could have, and should have been prevented. And above it all, the full moon and stars shone bright. But clouds were moving in, and I couldn't help but feel it was a bad sign.

_Bravery and wit, my Daughter, that is what you will need to survive this. Carry them with you and rely on them, and you will do great things._

I shook my head but smiled at the voice. Nyx's words were always comforting. "I don't know, Maggie, I don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."


End file.
